


Just a Nightmare: Distant Dreams

by GokuGirl



Series: Just a Nightmare [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Homophobia, Humor, Lime, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-09-17
Updated: 2002-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:16:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 30,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4424624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GokuGirl/pseuds/GokuGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feelings of amour have developed within certain Saiya-jin. Vegeta's being harassed by inner voices, Goku can't get the prince off his mind, Trunks and Goten are equally clueless... Are they all doomed to a life of misery?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ages: Trunks (20), Goten (19), Bra (8)

The sterile white walls, the antiseptic odor, the mundane sentiment, the quiet sobs... Those would be the things he would always associate with that day, things that he would also come to later associate with a different day. It was just another part of the memory that had been created when Buruma Briefs died.  
  
The Saiya-jin no Ouji stood silent and even more taciturn than usual against the wall opposite the closed door of the hospital room. He had said nary a word since the doctor had announced Bulma's fatal disease yet Goku could see that he did not grieve. The thought curiously didn't puzzle him like he assumed it should -- he'd known for years that Vegeta's love for the ningen woman was a nonexistent thing -- and he felt that he understood the reason why.  
  
Vegeta could never fully come to love anyone that could not accept him for who he was. In fact, if Goku hadn't seen evidence, he would have believed that Vegeta could not love at all.  
  
On the day his oldest friend died, Buruma asked to see him alone. Goku left the others in the hallway, left them to their quiet misery, and took the single chair that sat at Buruma's bedside. She turned her gaunt face towards him, blue eyes still bright, and smiled.  
  
"May I ask a favor of you, Son-kun?" she asked weakly, those few words nearly sapping all of her strength.  
  
He moved forward as her voice dropped in volume, tears springing to his eyes. Goku could vividly remember that young girl he'd met so many years ago and how she went vigorously about the task of collecting the dragonballs to wish for the perfect boyfriend. The woman that lay before him was the exact opposite of that girl, but she would always remain beautiful and youthful in his eyes.  
  
"Anything, Bulma. Ask anything."  
  
She smiled again and moved one trembling hand forward to pat his cheek. "You've always been such a sweetheart." Buruma closed her eyes as a wave of pain passed through her. "Onegai, Son-kun, take care of Vegeta. He needs someone."  
  
Goku sat with her until he felt her ki slip away, not truly thinking about her request until after she was gone. His eyes shot open as the full import of her words hit him. Take care of Vegeta? Just how was he supposed to accomplish that? The stubborn ouji wouldn't even look at him without glaring... How in the world was he supposed to _care_  for him?  
  
He went back out into hallway, back to the few people who'd gathered to keep silent vigil outside the room. There was Vegeta, of course, Trunks and Bura, ChiChi, Gohan, Goten, Yamcha, and Kuririn. Goku tried to look on the bright side of everything (at least his friend wasn't in pain anymore), but his facial expression gave his true emotions away -- as was usual.  
  
Bura inhaled, a sharp, quick sound, and buried her face into her father's stomach. She was only seven years old and far too young to have to deal with the grief of losing her mother. Trunks remained silent and stoic, staring sightlessly at the door in front of him. His hold on his composure was tenuous at best, shattering into tiny fragments when Goten laid a comforting hand upon his shoulder. Then the tears slid down his cheeks at a rapid pace, absorbing into the cloth of Goten's shirt as the younger boy embraced him.  
  
That had been a year ago. Since then, the surrealistic hospital scene had been played out once again, this time at ChiChi's death. It had not been an illness to take the wife of Goku, but, instead, a bizarre series of events.  
  
She had been at the grocery store, buying the necessary items needed to restock the pantry at home, when a group of thugs entered the store and began to wreak the place. ChiChi, extremely annoyed that the cashier was halted in the middle of ringing up her purchases, approached the man who was stealing from the register and slapped him violently across the face. The thug had blinked at her through his pain for a moment before pulling out a long knife and sliding it between her ribs. The woman went down, but not before kicking her assailant hard in the groin. Her last thought before losing consciousness was that she was going to kick his ass so hard that he wouldn't be able to sit down for a month.  
  
ChiChi lasted quite some time at the hospital even after she discovered that she'd lost too much blood to survive. She looked hard at the people that surrounded her, before focusing on her husband, saying a few last, albeit cryptic, words before passing on. "Don't stay alone, Goku-sa. It's not good for you."  
  
The sound of knocking drew Goku away from depressing memories. He rolled over in his bed and peered at the clock. ' _Oh, it's seven-thirty._ ' Closing his eyes, he was just on the edge of slumber when the time made an impact. His eyes popped open and he blinked at the glowing red numbers, stunned. "SEVEN-THIRTY?!"  
  
"Kakarotto, if you don't get your ass up right now...!" Vegeta allowed the threat to trail off into nothingness as he pounded on the front door again.  
  
' _I was supposed to spar with him at six this morning,_ ' Goku said to himself with a sheepish grin. ' _Oops._ ' He yawned as he got up to let Vegeta into the house before he broke the door down. The short Saiya-jin stood on his doorstep, the frown on his face turning to something that looked remarkably like a cross between shock and embarrassment.  
  
Vegeta adverted his eyes by focusing on a point somewhere near Goku's left ear. "Don't tell me that you're going to spar like that."  
  
Goku blinked in confusion for a moment before looking down at himself. He realized his state of dress -- or, rather, the lack of it -- and blushed. "I'll go get dressed and we can head out."  
  
"Don't take all day, baka. You're already behind schedule."  
  
He grinned as he went back to his room. "Oh, don't worry, Vegeta. I'm eager to kick your ass again."  
  
There was a moment of shocked silence, then, "What the hell did you say?!" His only response was deep laughter.  
  
Once outside, Goku tilted his head back and breathed in the fresh air. It felt very good to be alive at the moment. Today would be the day he bested Vegeta -- there would be no tie. Maybe then the older Saiya-jin would finally consider him an equal instead of merely a "third-class baka".  
  
Vegeta eyed the larger Saiya-jin with curiosity, wondering what the hell was going on with him. He seemed even happier than usual (if that was possible) and, for some odd reason, that scared him. A happy Kakarotto was a dangerous Kakarotto. "Come on," he said slowly, cautiously watching his opponent. While it was unusual for Goku to use underhanded tactics, Vegeta wanted to be prepared for anything. Especially when the other man was looking like he'd just eaten the proverbial canary.  
  
They flew at a leisurely pace to one of several sparring grounds they had on that side of the world. It was secluded and strongly reminiscent of the desolate land where they'd fought their very first battle. Goku thought it fitting that it would be the place where Vegeta tasted defeat by his hands.  
  
Without warning, Goku launched himself at Vegeta and threw a series of kicks and punches that only tested the defenses of the ouji. Vegeta frowned at this, knowing that his opponent was only playing with him. Before he could open his mouth to demand that Goku get serious, however, the mood of the spar shifted dramatically.  
  
Suddenly Goku no longer toyed with him. For only a moment he lagged behind the younger warrior, but that brief moment cost him plenty. Goku now had the upper hand and he just couldn't take it away from him. Vegeta smirked to himself. He may be on the defensive  _now_ , but he wouldn't be for very much longer. Quickly hopping away, he powered up to Super Saiya-jin. Goku immediately followed suit.  
  
The spar became greater in intensity as various ki blasts were mixed in with the physical attacks. Two hours passed by and Vegeta was becoming sick of being on the defensive... again. He, once again, moved away to transform, but Goku wouldn't give him the time.  
  
"You will not win!" Goku fairly growled as he continued his powerful onslaught. Vegeta's eyebrows raised in surprise right before he executed one of his signature ki attacks.  
  
"Final Flash!"  
  
As Goku twisted aside to dodge the yellow blast energy, Vegeta shot far above him into the clouds. Yet even the distraction his move provided wasn't enough as the taller Saiya-jin caught him in a bear hug from behind.  
  
"Yield to me," Goku breathed in Vegeta's ear. The ouji shivered at the sensation even as he cursed himself. He'd known that something wasn't right with the other Saiya-jin yet had still consented to spar with him.  
  
Vegeta leaned his head forward so that Goku's breath wasn't tickling him anymore. "Kakarotto, did you hit your head again and rattle what was left of your brain?"  
  
"Iie, Vegeta. Why do you ask?"  
  
"You're acting even weirder than usual." He squirmed and twisted in the other man's grip, suddenly feeling quite uncomfortable. "If you don't let me go right now..."  
  
A moment's silence, then, "You'll do what?" The deep timbre of his voice made chills run up and down Vegeta's spine. It was starting to become too much for the older Saiya-jin and, in his panic, Vegeta soared upward to the next level of Super Saiya-jin.  
  
The golden power was almost painful and Goku gritted his teeth as Vegeta renewed his struggle. He saw his dream slowly began to fade away with each twist of the smaller Saiya-jin's body. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't! With revived determination, Goku went beyond level two to level three and put a halt to Vegeta's movement.  
  
"You will not win," he repeated slowly and the words finally sank into Vegeta's mind.  
  
After a moment the ouji dropped out of Super Saiya-jin completely with an angry grunt. How dare the third-class baka even think that he would just let him win! He would have to be near death before the thought crossed his mind and even then chances were zero at best.  
  
Goku released him, apparently coming to the conclusion from Vegeta's body language that he'd won the match. Grinning widely, he opened his mouth to suggest that they get a meal when Vegeta suddenly smirked and opened his hand. The next thing Goku felt was a burning pain in his stomach and then he knew only darkness.  
  


***

  
Vegeta perched on a large rock, arms folded across his chest, as he waited for Goku to regain consciousness. He wondered why he wasn't out celebrating his miraculous, albeit sneaky, defeat of the taller Saiya-jin by consuming mass quantities of alcohol. Instead he was sitting beside Goku and thinking.  
  
His damned conscience refused to let him enjoy his victory. He imagined a little chibi angel of himself perched upon one shoulder worrying him to death much in the way ChiChi had done Goku when she had been still alive.  
  
 _"You really didn't want to hurt him, Vegeta. You know that you didn't. Why couldn't you be a good little Saiya-jin and allow him victory for once? When he wakes up, make sure you apologize."_  
  
 _"He doesn't deserve victory or anything else! Kakarotto's nothing more than third-class scum, not even fit to lick my boot."_  
  
Gentle laughter.  _"You're lying to yourself, Veggie. Remember, I know your innermost desires."_  
  
 _"N-nani?"_  Vegeta paled. No, he couldn't know....  
  
 _"Of course I can."_  
  
Damn it, he did! Only one course of action in this case.  _"I have no idea what you're talking about."_  
  
 _"Denial is unhealthy, Veggie. Why can't you admit the truth? You love-"_  
  
His diminishing evil side bared its pointy fangs. A chibi devil Vegeta popped into existence and settled on the opposite shoulder.  _"Listen, you pansy, Vegeta has nothing but hatred for that baka. In fact, he will get up right now and put the bastard out of everyone's misery. Won't you, Vegeta?"_  
  
The ouji nodded. "Of course I will," he said aloud. Realizing that he'd done so, he quickly looked around to make sure no one had heard him. The area was completely devoid of people other than he and Goku. He hopped from the rock and made his way over to the still form, charging his ki as he did so. Just one blast and it would be over. Only one blast. Vegeta kneeled and placed his glowing hand to Goku's steadily moving chest. No more Kakarotto.  
  
His hand was poised to do its work when Goku stirred and groaned. Vegeta quickly allowed his ki to vanish as he moved backward. When it came down to killing his rival he just couldn't do it.  
  
 _"You love Goku and could never do anything to hurt him."_  
  
Vegeta frowned and silently cursed. Damn his conscience.  
  


***

  
The first thing Goku was aware of was the ache in his stomach. It was similar to the time he ate too many oysters, but not very. This ache was more on the burning side as if his very flesh had been seared away, exposing the naked muscle underneath. At the thought Goku cringed and slowly opened his eyes. He really had no desire to see himself that way.  
  
The next thing to catch his attention was a snapping sound accompanied by a gentle warmth. Why was there a fire going? Did he go camping in the forest? Goku merely listened to the soothing sound for a while until he noticed that he wasn't alone.  
  
Then everything came rushing back to him. He and Vegeta had been sparring and he'd let his guard down. This was why he hurt so much: he lost the match.  
  
Tears welled up in his eyes at the mere thought of Vegeta thinking less of him. Depression settled over him like a heavy wool blanket and he turned over in an attempt to return to the blissful oblivion of slumber.  
  
"Kakarotto."  
  
' _Iie, leave me alone._ ' Tears made silent tracks down his cheeks. ' _I've failed and now you will never let me in._ '  
  
"Kakarotto?" Vegeta repeated, but in the form of a question. He wanted to say more but his stubborn pride refused to let him.  
  
"What do you want, Vegeta?" Goku's voice made the ouji wince. Never before had he heard him sound so despondent, even when the odds were against him he'd always held onto hope. Now it seemed that there just wasn't any more hope to be had.  
  
The ouji frowned. "What the hell is wrong with you today? First you act so Saiya-jin during our battle I felt that there was hope for you and now you're acting as if your puppy just died!"  
  
Goku sighed and sat up, the pain in his abdomen forgotten. "Just forget about it."  
  
His words only caused Vegeta to do the exact opposite. Eventually giving up (for the moment, anyway), he motioned towards the meat roasting over the small fire he'd made. "Lunch," he said with a grunt.  
  
They ate in complete silence, each immersed in his own thoughts. Vegeta was halfway through his portion of the meal when his little friend decided to make an appearance again.  
  
 _"Why won't you let me be?!"_  he asked.  
  
 _"I can't do that when I'm winning, Veggie,"_  the angel laughed.  _"First you remain by his side, then you are unable to kill him, and now you make him lunch!"_  
  
 _"There are very good reasons for what I've done. I'm unable to carry Kakarotto home because the baka's just too damn big to do it comfortably, I can't kill him because then I would have no one powerful enough to spar against, and I cook him food because he needs his energy to fight me again."_  
  
The angel was silent for a moment as if seriously considering his words.  _"Whatever you say, Veggie. Whatever you say."_  
  
Vegeta could care less if the chibi angel believed him and was seriously starting to question his sanity. It just didn't seem normal for him to talk to the manifestation of the goodness within.  
  
 _"What about talking to me? Do you find that odd?"_  The chibi devil moved lazily through the air before him.  
  
 _"If the angel's my conscience then what the hell are you?"_  
  
 _"I represent the evil side you try to repress. You can never fully rid yourself of me; I will always be here."_  He chuckled evilly.  _"You don't indulge yourself anymore, Vegeta. Existence has become quite boring."_  
  
 _"Everything is as it should be for you!"_  The angel informed the devil.  
  
He went on as if the words were never spoken.  _"Oh sure, your dark side bears it's bloody fangs once in a while when you fight the baka, but that only gives me mild satisfaction. I need blood all day, every day."_  
  
 _"Then you'll always be unhappy because you will never have that again,"_  Vegeta said firmly and the chibi angel cheered.  _"I may not be the saint that Kakarotto is, but I am also no longer the murderer I used to be. I never want my children to know that side of me."_  
  
 _"You've gone soft, Vegeta. We used to have so much fun together! Allow me freedom for just one day and I promise that you won't regret it."_  
  
 _"What part of 'iie' don't you understand?"_  Vegeta was tired of arguing.  _"Look, just leave me alone, okay? I'm tired of talking to you."_  
  
 _"Fine,"_  the devil pouted as he vanished.  
  
The angel grinned at Vegeta.  _"Ah, it's good that's he finally gone."_  
  
 _"I meant you too."_  
  
 _"But why? I'm the good guy remember!"_  Vegeta's hard expression didn't waver and the chibi angel eventually disappeared as well.  
  
Goku sat across the fire staring at the ouji's face. It went through a myriad of expressions ranging from annoyance to downright murderous. What was going through his mind? "You look like Piccolo does when he's speaking to Kami and Nail."  
  
Vegeta blinked. "Nani?"  
  
"The expressions on your face. When the other two Namek-jin give Piccolo unwanted advice, his face goes through pretty much the same expressions that yours did."  
  
He'd completely forgotten that Goku had been sitting across from him as the conversation with the chibis wore on. What did the younger Saiya-jin think of him? Did he wonder if he'd lost his mind?  
  
"Oh really?" Vegeta asked casually as he finished his meal. "Imagine that."  
  
A few minutes later, Vegeta was ready to do something.... anything! Goku hadn't moved or spoken in such a long time, Vegeta would have thought he was dead if not for the ki signature he felt. The silence was starting to drive him insane (It had never done that to him in the past. The ouji personally blamed Bulma and his kids for changing him.), so he questioned his companion in a tactful way.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Okay, so maybe it was in a not-so-tactful way. Didn't matter in the end, though, as long as it got the job done.  
  
Goku looked at him with dull, lifeless eyes. "I would think that you didn't care."  
  
"I asked you, didn't I?" Okay, he was starting to unnerve him just a little bit. "Look, Kakarotto, you're not your usual happy-go-lucky self. If it has anything to do with my attack I, um..." Goku merely waited in depressed silence. "I apologize."  
  
 _"See, Veggie? It wasn't very hard to do at all!"_  
  
"Will you shut up and leave me the fuck alone?!"  
  
"Fine, Vegeta, I will." Goku rose and turned away. "See you whenever." Before Vegeta could even blink, the other Saiya-jin took to the air and flew off toward his home.  
  
"Of all the dumbass things to do..." Vegeta muttered as he doused the fire. "Now I have to go after him!"  
  
 _"Good to see you've finally realized that."_  
  
"You shut up. This is all  _your_  damn fault!"


	2. Chapter 2

Goku began to uncharacteristically mope once he'd reached his home, and was helpless to stop himself from doing so. All he could see was his dream fading from sight as time wore on. He supposed it had been unrealistic anyway, so it was good to move on to things within his reach. Right?  
  
"If it's so right," he whispered, "why does it feel so wrong?"  
  
The front door opened and Goten entered the house. "Tousan? You here?" His words were met with silence. Shrugging, he dropped his overnight bag beside the door and wandered off to the kitchen. He'd started on his way home from spending the night with Trunks at Capsule Corporation before he'd eaten lunch. The boy froze in the doorway and stared at his father (whose head was down upon the table) in shock.  
  
"Tousan?" Goten asked, placing a hesitant hand upon Goku's shoulder. There were few things that could take away the ever-present sunshine in his father's demeanor. "Are you thinking about 'It' again?"  
  
"It" was his mother's death. Goten couldn't bring himself to say the two dreaded words aloud. He knew that his father had loved her very much -- although it was more sisterly than anything else -- and it usually upset him to think about the assault. When Goku raised his head to look at him Goten knew that it was bigger than that somehow. It was as if the very light had gone out in his father's soul.  
  
"I'm thinking about it  _now_ ," Goku answered with a sigh. "But iie, son, I wasn't before."  
  
Goten opened his mouth to say something more when the phone rang. Casting another worried look in his father's direction, he answered the call. "Moshi moshi."  
  
"Give Kakarotto the phone, boy."  
  
He blinked. "Nani? Is that you, Vegeta-san?"  
  
"I need to speak with him."  
  
"Okay, sure." He covered up the mouthpiece. "Tou-"  
  
Goku shook his head and, once again, dropped it to the tabletop. "I don't have anything to say to him."  
  
Goten frowned. "Vegeta-san, did you and tousan have a fight or something?"  
  
"When don't we have a fight?"  
  
"I meant other than a sparring match."  
  
"I know that, you baka! Look, it's none of your concern. Just tell your father to remember my words." Vegeta hung up, leaving Goten even more confused than before.  
  
"If you need to talk I'm here," the demi-Saiya-jin said after he'd hung up the phone. For a moment his words were met with only silence, but then his father sighed.  
  
"It all started a few weeks after your mother died." Goten flinched at the words and Goku silently apologized with his eyes. "I started to really consider both your mother and Buruma's last words, started to think that they were related in some way. Do you know what Buruma asked of me, Goten?"  
  
He shook his head. "No one knows other than you, Tousan, and no one really wanted to ask."  
  
Goku chuckled and it was not a happy sound. "She asked me to look after Vegeta, said that he was going need someone. I've been trying, but he won't let anyone get close enough to help. Not even Bura-chan. It's like he holds us all at arm's length because of some irrational fear."  
  
"Maybe that's why," Goten mused. "A lot of good things in his life have been taken away from him. He might be afraid of that happening again." Suddenly the connection between Buruma and ChiChi's words hit him. "Tousan, I think I know how their words are linked."  
  
"You do? How?"  
  
"First, you have to promise not to get angry no matter what I tell you."  
  
His father rolled his eyes. "When do I ever get angry, Goten?"  
  
He chuckled nervously. "I know, I know, but you aren't acting like yourself. My words might push you over the edge."  
  
"Just tell me."  
  
Goten got up and walked to the other side of the room. He had a feeling that he was being silly, but he hadn't survived this long by being careless. "First, Buruma-san asks you to take care of Vegeta-san and, then, kaasan tells you not to stay alone. Tousan, I think they're telling you to, um..." He looked at his father who still had the patient look on his face. Goten sighed. "Buruma and kaasan both thought that you and Vegeta-san should be a couple."  
  
"A couple of what?" Was the response. Goten looked at Goku as if he'd lost his mind. Surely he couldn't be that clueless... could he?  
  
"A couple like you and kaasan were." The boy explained. When comprehension failed to dawn, Goten let out a frustrated explosion of breath.  
  
Goku suddenly grinned and laughed, his dark mood lifting slightly. "I know what you're talking about, son. It was just fun to mess with you."  
  
Goten went back to his chair after deciding that his father was far from angry. "So, you're cool about that?"  
  
"Sure, why not? It would explain a lot of things that's been going on lately." His smile faded. "It's like I'm obsessed with proving myself to Vegeta. I've never wanted to do that before, but now..." He shook his head and briefly searched for alternate reasons. There weren't any.  
  
Goten gasped. "Are you serious?!"  
  
A nod. "I can't get him off my mind at all. It's been like that for a couple of weeks now."  
  
"Oh man," Goten said as he began to pace the length of the kitchen. "I hope Trunks was wrong. Please let Trunks be wrong for once!"  
  
Goku was starting to get a little dizzy watching him rapidly move back and forth. "Calm down and tell me what you're talking about."  
  
"A while ago, when I was twelve, Trunks told me about something that Vegeta-san had told him." Goten forced himself to sit down and be still. "It's about Saiya-jin and how they choose a lifemate."  
  
One dark eyebrow rose. "I can't really see him having the birds-and-bees talk with his son."  
  
A bright grin. "Imagine him having it with Bura-chan." Both took a moment to do just that and the image made them break out into hysterical laughter. "Anyway," the boy continued once he'd caught his breath, "a Saiya-jin picks a mate by how well suited they are for each other. Since there wasn't such a thing as a marriage ceremony on Vegeta-sei, they go through a bonding ritual instead." He blushed. "It's pretty intense stuff."  
  
"I think I need to know," Goku said quietly. "Vegeta and I... It's like we're two different sides of the same coin."  
  
Goten was starting to see what he meant. His father had a faraway look in his eyes every time he mentioned Vegeta, something he'd never had when speaking of ChiChi. "Okay, Tousan. When someone wants to make someone else their mate, they first announce their intentions. Then they prove their worth. That's basically what you're trying to do now. I think it's instinctual. Next, if the one they want to claim doesn't object, they initiate the ritual."  
  
"Hai? Go on?" Goku urged.  
  
There was a moment of silence and then Goten placed one hand behind his head in the typical Son gesture of sheepishness. "Um, my mind is completely blank. Trunks may not have told me about it." He looked disappointed with himself.  
  
His father smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, okay? Until I defeat Vegeta none of it really matters anyway."  
  
"He said to remember his words."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Vegeta-san told me to tell you to remember his words." He closely examined the look on his father's face. "What was he talking about?"  
  
Goku sighed. "We were sparring this morning and he hit me with a surprise ki blast. Knocked me out cold. I woke up and he was cooking lunch for us. Then he apologized for hurting me."  
  
Goten's eyes grew large with disbelief. "He apologized? I don't believe it."  
  
"It shocked me too, son. Talk about strange behavior."  
  
The phone rang once more and Goten rolled his eyes as he answered it. "Moshi moshi."  
  
"Dinner. Tonight."  
  
"Can't you ever say konnichi-wa or something, first? It's really rude not to greet the person that you're speaking with."  
  
He could hear the disapproval even through the phone line. As a matter of fact, he could even picture the frown on the small Saiya-jin's face. "Boy, do you have a death wish?"  
  
"He sounds fine, Tousan," Goten smiled. "Perfectly fine."  
  
"You and your third-class baka of a father are coming over here for dinner tonight. Don't be late." Once again, the Saiya-jin no Ouji hung up without saying goodbye.  
  
Goten frowned at the receiver. "This can't be a date because I'm invited, too."  
  
"He invited us over there?" Goku asked with wide eyes. "To the Capsule Corporation?"  
  
"Hai. For dinner tonight."  
  
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. "We must be in the Twilight Zone," Goku said while shaking his head. "I'm going for a walk."  
  


***

  
When Vegeta arrived home that afternoon, he was immediately pounced upon by Bura. She squeezed him around the waist as hard as she could and refused to let go.  
  
"How come you never take me with you, Papa?" she asked. "I wanna see you fight Goku-san."  
  
"I doubt you could even see majority of it," he commented, hoping that she would drop the subject.  
  
Bura wouldn't give up so easily. "So teach me, then. I bet Pan could follow the fight with no problem."  
  
He couldn't walk normally with Bura wrapped around his lower body so Vegeta was resorted to waddling like a penguin. The little girl giggled and he silently prayed that Trunks never saw him like that. "Kakarotto's been training Gohan's brat since she was a toddler. You've only been taught how to control your ki so that "innocent" ningen wouldn't get blown to bits if you ever became mad at them. It was all your mother would allow me to teach you."  
  
The wound was still fresh but no longer was it raw and bleeding. Bura only felt a moderate amount of sadness at the mention of her mother and no longer felt anger at her father for his lack of grief. Trunks explained to her that he and Buruma were never really that compatible. The girl didn't really understand all of it, but what little she had did make sense.  
  
Vegeta made two phone calls to the Son home, spoke to Goten each time, and cursed himself once again for hurting Goku. He felt his conscience try to make an appearance again and firmly closed his mind to it. There would be no more speaking with imaginary beings, especially around other people. The last thing he wanted was to be looked upon as an escapee from a mental hospital.  
  
"Niichan told me to tell you that we don't have any food left." She finally released her father. "He said that you have to go shopping."  
  
" _I_  have to go shopping?" he asked incredulously. "He invites Goten over here, knowing that boy has a black hole for a stomach, and expects me to replenish the food supply? I don't think so." Vegeta raised his voice. "Trunks, get your ass down here!"  
  
He came in with a sheepish look on his face. "Bura told you, huh?"  
  
"Of course she told me. You knew she was going to when you said it to her." Vegeta opened the fridge and groaned. There was nothing in there except for half a grapefruit. He then proceeded to go through the cupboards one-by-one, groaning each time he discovered the absence of snack food.  
  
Bura went into the fridge and got the fruit. "Well, I'm hungry and this is all we have left." She glared at her brother. "Not that one little grapefruit half is enough to fill a demi-Saiya-jin!"  
  
"Blame Goten, not me. We had food this morning, remember? Before Papa went to spar with Goku-san, he ate breakfast."  
  
"Apparently there went the last of the food right there." The thought of the spar with Goku made him frown even fiercer than usual. "Look, you have to go grocery shopping today. Baka and Baka Jr. are coming over for dinner."  
  
Trunks looked shocked. "You let them invite themselves again?"  
  
"Er, iie," he mumbled. Then he sped up so his words were barely distinguishable. "Iinvitedthemmyself."  
  
"Did I hear you correctly?" Trunks asked, astonished. "You invited them yourself?!"  
  
Vegeta frowned and began to pace. "I tricked Kakarotto this morning, okay? I'm feeling guilty and that's an unfamiliar feeling for me. So, in order to alleviate my guilt, I'm cooking dinner for him. Had to invite Goten because he's his son." He paused to glance at his children. Both had expressions of disbelief on their faces. "I don't have to explain anything to you!"  
  
"Okay, okay!" Trunks made a "calm down" gesture with his hands. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to take you with me, Bura. We're going to need two or three shopping carts."  
  
"Try five," his father muttered. "You only have four hours."  
  
"No problem, Papa. We'll be done in half that time."  
  


***

  
"We're not going to be home in time, are we?" Trunks asked his little sister.  
  
Bura shook her head. "Nope. We're not going to make it."  
  
The supermarket had been having a sale that Trunks completely forgot about. He and Bura had been waiting in the same checkout line for ninety minutes (after spending an hour acquiring various foodstuffs). They had to outdo the ningen shoppers and sometimes even steal food from them. Between the two of them, they'd only obtained three-fourths of the list. There would have to be a trip to another store.  
  
Trunks stood on tip-toe and tried to see over the heads of the tall people while silently cursing his father for passing on his short genes. He gave up doing things the ningen way and levitated slightly. "The cashier has his light blinking. I think he needs help."  
  
"Papa's gonna be mad," Bura sighed. "I wonder if Goku-san and Goten-niichan will try to eat him if they arrive and there's no food."  
  
He looked down at her in shock. "They're not cannibals, Bura-chan. Besides, Papa's too small to fill them up."  
  
There was a choked sound behind them and the two demi-Saiya-jin turned to see a middle-aged blonde woman staring at them in horror. "What's wrong?" Bura asked curiously.  
  
"You know people that eat ningen?" the woman asked, eyes wide behind her glasses.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," Bura said reassuringly. "Papa's not ningen. He's Saiya-jin. In fact,  _you're_  in more danger than me, Trunks, and Papa are."  
  
Trunks covered up her mouth. "Excuse my sister, she's not well... if you know what I mean."  
  
Bura bit his finger and he hissed in pain. "Don't tell people I have mental problems!"  
  
"There's no sense in scaring the woman, Bura! Goku-san and Goten don't eat people!"  
  
"Oh, that's it," she pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed. "Papa, Trunks is being mean to me."  
  
He growled at her and snatched the phone away. "Papa, come get your little demon spawn! She's going around telling people that you're in danger of being eaten by our dinner guests!"  
  
"Where are you?" Vegeta asked in an impatient voice.  
  
"The grocery store."  
  
There was a moment of stunned silence then, "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL AT THE GROCERY STORE?!" Trunks jerked the phone away from his ear and cringed.  
  
"Bura-chan? You've got this one."  
  
"Papa, calm down. We still have to go to another store, but we'll be home in plenty of time for you to cook. There's a sale going on and ningen are crazy when it comes to discounts."  
  
She heard him growl. "Fine. Tell your brother that he has forty minutes to bring his slow ass home. Don't mince words."  
  
Bura hung up and smiled sweetly at Trunks. "I have a message for you."  
  
"Oh?" He was less than thrilled.  
  
"Hai." She cleared her throat and impersonated her father. "You have forty minutes to bring your slow ass home."  
  
He shuddered. "I can just imagine the 'or else' he neglected to tack onto the end of that."  
  
"Since we haven't moved in ten minutes..." Bura hugged him tightly. "I'm gonna miss you, Niichan."  
  
"I'm going to miss you, too, Bura."


	3. Chapter 3

Goku returned from his walk feeling worse than he had before. Strolling through the forest seemed to make his mind work overtime, and the gloomy scenarios that emerged from the turning gears made the dark cloud of depression even thicker.  
  
Just why did Vegeta feel the need to treat him with so much disdain? Goku had never insulted Vegeta; in fact, he respected him a great deal. The ouji was a good ally -- when he wanted to be anyway -- and often an invaluable help in the fight against evil. It was quite ironic when you thought about it, a man who once decimated entire planetary populations helping to thwart evil, but Goku knew that Vegeta had changed for the better... even if the older man himself did not.  
  
He'd begun his walk in high spirits, just enjoying the beauty of the nature around him. The path he'd selected was an old friend and it eventually curved around a lake full of giant fish just waiting to be caught. For half-an-hour he'd sat on the bank of those still waters, trying to clear his mind enough to meditate. Goku thought he'd done it several times only to have Vegeta's familiar figure come to the fore of his thoughts.  
  
If what Goten said was true, then he was subconsciously courting the Saiya-jin no Ouji. For some odd reason that didn't surprise him. He'd always been drawn to the man even when he regarded him as little more than pure evil. They were the last of their kind, the only remaining full-blooded Saiya-jin in the universe. There would be no other.  
  
Goten sighed as he watched his father stare blankly out of the window. "The walk didn't help much, did it?"  
  
"If anything, it made things even worse." Goku placed his hands over his face and groaned. "The only thing the peace and quiet did for me was cause my mind to wander."  
  
"You have to do something about this, Tousan. It looks like it's really eating away at you. The best course of action would be to just tell him how you feel."  
  
Goku stared at him. "That's the best course of action? This is Vegeta we're talking about here, son."  
  
"You could always defeat him in battle. Either he'll be easier to deal with or he'll try to rip your heart out."  
  
"Knowing Vegeta as I do, it'll most likely be the latter."  
  
The teen smiled. "Don't be too sure about that. He did, after all, apologize to you earlier. He's mellowed a lot over the years."  
  
His father wasn't reassured. "He may joke around and even allow me to beat him without threats of death, but Vegeta's still very capable of depopulating this planet. Never forget that." Goku rose from the couch and eased the tension. "We've got hours before dinner. You want to spar?"  
  
Goten gulped. "Go easy on me, okay? I've been lazy lately."  
  
His only response was a cheerful smile.  
  


***

  
Vegeta was alternating between stirring a large pot of tomato sauce on the stove and smacking Bura's hand away from the garlic bread. As soon as she and Trunks had returned from the store, the ouji had put them right to work so there had been no time to get a snack. The rumbling of her stomach was slowly driving her insane.  
  
The fourth time Vegeta had to slap her hand, Goku and Goten teleported into the kitchen. The short Saiya-jin stepped backward and right into a firm wall of flesh. He then jumped forward and nearly knocked the pot from the stove.  
  
"How many damn times have I told you not to do that?" Vegeta asked slowly and quietly. Goku and Goten exchanged glances. They knew he was close to exploding.  
  
Meanwhile, while Vegeta was busying himself with trying not to attack Goku, Bura succeeded in stealing a breadstick. She quickly devoured her prize and tried for another. A hand with the strength of steel halted her.  
  
"Bura, leave the kitchen," Vegeta said without even looking in her direction. There were few things that could cause the ouji to yell at his daughter and annoyance wasn't one of them. Bura vanished without protest and Vegeta turned his full attention to the two standing behind him.  
  
"Vegeta-san, we're sorry!" Goten said fearfully. Oh, he would definitely take his father's words to heart. Vegeta had definitely lost none of his bark or his bite. "Please don't... hurt us?" The teen realized that Vegeta wasn't even paying attention to him. Instead, his gaze was focused solely on his father. The hard look in his eyes had softened and a faint smile caused the edges of his mouth to tilt slightly upward. Goku had an equally gentle expression on his face. "I'll just be going now," Goten said before edging out of the kitchen. He doubted that either man heard him.  
  
"Why are you looking like that?" Bura asked before she peeked into the kitchen. "Why are Papa and Goku-san staring at each other?"  
  
Goten pulled her away. "You wouldn't understand."  
  
She frowned at him. "I know I've seen Kaasan look at Papa like that before, but this is the first time I've seen Papa look so goofy."  
  
"Are you spying on them?" said Trunks so suddenly it made the other two jump.  
  
" _I'm_  not, but I don't know about Bura." Goten took a large step away from the kitchen door and crossed his arms. He glanced at Trunks. "Tousan's courting Vegeta-san."  
  
Both Briefs children blinked in confusion for a moment, until his words sank in. "NANI?!"  
  
"Are you sure, Goten?" Trunks placed a hand on the taller demi-Saiya-jin's forehead. "Funny, you don't have a fever..."  
  
"I'm not sick!" He jerked his thumb at the kitchen door. "Tousan and I talked about this before. You should see him when he's away from Vegeta-san. He's so depressed."  
  
Trunks shook his head. "This is bizarre, Goten! You know that, don't you?"  
  
"Why is that, Trunks?" His eyes grew cold. "Is it because they're both men?"  
  
That threw the older demi-Saiya-jin completely off. "That has nothing to do with it! Where in the world did you get that from?"  
  
Goten instantly regretted his words. "Doesn't matter. Why do you think it's so bizarre, then?"  
  
Bura looked back and forth between the two of them, wondering whether or not she should interfere. She knew the reason Trunks said that, though she hadn't seen it personally. Her father had been different by the time she was born. "Niichan said that because Papa is supposed to hate Goku-san. He spent years trying to be stronger than him, remember?"  
  
"I remember, but don't you see? Lately, Vegeta-san's been happier than he's ever been before and so has Tousan."  
  
The kitchen door swung open and Goku started out. He stopped mid-step when he saw three embarrassed demi-Saiya-jin attempting to act completely innocent. "Okay, what's going on here?"  
  
"Nothing," they chorused.  
  
"You can't fool me, kids. I'm not as stupid as I look." Goku smiled at them. "Oh, I know..." He trailed off and pretended to think as the three sweated. "You were discussing what to buy Vegeta! Christmas is coming up, you know."  
  
Trunks and Goten just stared at him and Bura's hand flew to her mouth. "I completely forgot!"  
  
"BURA!" both young men cried in unison.  
  
"Nani?" she asked. "Well, I did."  
  
Goku chuckled to himself as the three disappeared into the living room. He knew very well why they were outside the kitchen door and had even heard part of their conversation. If he truly did decide to pursue a relationship with Vegeta, Trunks might be resentful and the last thing he wanted to do was strain the relationship between father and son.  
  
Then it hit him. He was thinking as if he actually had a chance with the Saiya-jin no Ouji. The man was practically untouchable, a pretty little glass bauble to look at but never to come within six feet of. He could admire from afar, but that was about all.  
  
On that depressing note, Goku sat down on the floor next to the kitchen door to wait for dinner to be ready. There had to be some way to make the best of the situation. He was usually a pro at that, after all. So absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice Vegeta until the smaller man grabbed a lock of Goku's hair and yanked. Hard.  
  
"ITAI!" Goku squealed and jerked away. He pouted and looked at Vegeta with pained tears in the corners of his eyes. "That really hurt."  
  
Well, Vegeta couldn't very well maintain his stern countenance when Goku made such an adorable face. "You were ignoring me," he said and, despite himself, the words came out doleful.  
  
_"Well, well, well. Look who's softening up!"_  The chibi angel popped into existence and hovered around Goku's left shoulder.  _"I knew that it was only a matter of time."_  He blew on his fingernails and buffed them on his white kimono.  _"Damn, I'm good."_  
  
Vegeta's face twisted into a look of absolute annoyance.  _"Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?!"_  
  
_"Ooh! Such language!"_  the angel reprimanded as he settled upon Goku's shoulder. The prince tensed up instantly and wondered if Goku would notice. He half-hoped that he did. At least it would mean that he wasn't insane.  
  
Goku lazily brushed at his shoulder, but his hand froze when he encountered nothing but air. He stared at his shoulder for a moment before staring at Vegeta. "I have the strangest feeling that I'm missing something."  
  
_"SHIT!"_  Both Vegetas cursed vehemently. When the prince wagged his finger at the angel, he stuck out his tongue and vanished.  
  
"Uh, Vegeta?" the younger Saiya-jin said as he watched the gloved finger move back and forth. "Are you going to do something with that?"  
  
The finger froze and a faint blush rose up on Vegeta's cheeks. "Dinner's ready," he said gruffly before fleeing to the relative safety of the kitchen. Goku was seriously confused at his behavior but decided to let it go. It was highly unlikely that he would discover an explanation for it, anyway, seeing as Vegeta was rarely forthcoming.  
  
Dinner was actually pretty pleasant. Vegeta had made an excellent meal of spaghetti, meatballs, salad, and garlic breadsticks. Goku remembered when he discovered that the prince knew how to cook. It had been one afternoon when Trunks had been young and Buruma had been sick. The three-year-old was hungry and pestered Vegeta until the man decided to do something about it. So the prince went to the cupboard and pulled out three cans of alphabet soup. Then he proceeded to heat them up and serve it to his son. Trunks was so grateful that he out spelled his thanks in the noodles.  
  
Trunks told Goten who, in turn, told Goku several years later. The younger Saiya-jin teased Vegeta about it for a week straight until the prince got the upper hand by quickly powering up to Super Saiya-jin Level Three. He then proceeded to straddle Goku and tickle him until he nearly wet himself. The younger man quickly promised to never bring it up again. And he hadn't... until now.  
  
"Hey, Vegeta," Goku said with a huge grin on his face. "When was the last time you had alphabet soup?" Bura and Goten looked blank, but Trunks started to snicker.  
  
"That was a long time ago, Kakarotto, and I thought I made you promise to never speak of it again." What his father was talking about suddenly dawned on Goten and he joined his best-friend in the laughter.  
  
Bura was intensely curious. "What is he talking about, Papa?"  
  
"It's nothing. Go back to eating your dinner." Vegeta tried to get everyone to forget about that topic, but knew that it was doomed to failure. Why was he doing it in the first place? He really shouldn't be ashamed of something like that, especially now. Everyone already knew that he wasn't quite the bad ass he used to be. Dangerous, yes, but not bad.  
  
"When I was a chibi and Kaasan was sick, Papa made me lunch." Trunks loved to tell the story. It was one of the few father-son moments he'd had with Vegeta as a kid. "I didn't even know he could turn on the stove let alone make something edible. Granted, he only heated up a few cans of soup, but Kaasan couldn't even do that without scorching it." He smiled. "Do you know how hard it is to spell 'domo arigatou' out in noodles? I was three at the time and could barely spell my own name much less spell something as long as that."  
  
Bura smirked at him. "I doubt you could do it even now."  
  
"Shut up, Bura." He glared at her.  
  
She gave him an equally irritated stare. "Make me."  
  
They began to talk at once, each demi-Saiya-jin detailing exactly what they would do to the other if they didn't leave them alone. Without pausing in his meal, Vegeta held up his hand. His two children fell instantly silent.  
  
"Wow!" Goten exclaimed. "I've never gotten Trunks to stop talking that quickly."  
  
"It's amazing what you can do when people are intimidated by you." Vegeta leaned back in his chair, completely full. No one spoke or moved an inch. The prince waved his hands at the table. "These dishes aren't going to take care of themselves."  
  
Bura and Trunks hopped to it. Even Goten felt compelled to help clear the table. The Saiya-jin no Ouji gave Goku a look and the younger man smiled. "I'm not the least bit intimidated by you, Vegeta. Won't work on me."  
  
"I knew it wasn't going to." He stretched and Goku found himself entranced by his feline grace. "Are you too full to spar?"  
  
"Are you going to trick me again?"  
  
He looked ashamed. "I apologized for that, remember? I was under the impression that the slate was wiped clean."  
  
"Just joking." Goku grinned. "You really need to loosen up, 'geta."  
  
The prince's eyes widened and he thought to himself, ' _Did he just call me by an affectionate nickname?!_ '  
  
"We're losing daylight, 'geta." He gently pushed him towards the door. "C'mon!"  
  
He was too shocked and pleased to reprimand Goku for being so familiar with him. It would have been a knee-jerk reaction anyway, more habit than anything else. The last thing he wanted to do was push the younger Saiya-jin away.  
  


***

  
Later, as they lay pleasantly exhausted underneath the stars, Goku asked a question. " 'geta, tell me about Vegeta-sei."  
  
"Nani?!" To say that he was surprised was an understatement. Vegeta was completely floored.  
  
"Hai. I've never really heard anything about it besides the information about the Legendary Super Saiya-jin. What was it like?"  
  
The prince thought for a moment. "Harsh," he said, "and uncomfortable. You know that I was only a small child when our planet was blown up by Furiza, but before then I had spent most of my life training to be the best. All the elders would talk about was how I was going to be the strongest in the universe and that I was destined to be the Legendary." He gave Goku a look. "We both know how that turned out."  
  
Goku blushed and he chuckled. "Look Kakarotto, I'm over it. That was almost twenty damn years ago. You help keep this planet safe and, in turn, help to keep my brats safe. I thank you for it."  
  
The words just did not make sense. "I'm going insane, 'geta. I could have sworn that you just thanked me for something."  
  
"Hai, I did. So?"  
  
The next thing the prince knew, Goku's warm hand was on his forehead. "You're cool. So that means that you must have been the one to lose his mind."  
  
"I'm fine, Kakarotto!" Vegeta then proceeded to grumble mostly to himself. "When a man starts doing the right thing, after twenty-three years of being preached at by a third-class baka, he's looked upon as a mental patient! Why bother in the first place? I should go back to killing everything in sight just so no one will think anything's wrong with me."  
  
"I- You- I mean-!" Goku stuttered.  
  
It was Vegeta's turn to grin. "Just joking."


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days passed by pretty much the same way they'd always had. Goku and Vegeta sparred on a daily basis, Trunks and Goten hung out after the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin got home from work, and Bura begged her father to train her. Actually, the last was a brand new occurrence.  
  
"Just tell me why, Papa? Why can't I kick butt like the rest of you?" Bura grumpily dug her spoon into her bowl of cereal at the breakfast table.  
  
Vegeta looked at her with a tired expression. "Because learning to fight will make you a target, Bura. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"Oh," she said at length. "I understand. But what if the bad guy doesn't care that I'm just an innocent bystander? If I can't defend myself against him, then I'm just as dead. I would rather have a chance at saving myself, Papa."  
  
Trunks nodded. "The squirt has a point."  
  
He didn't want to give in even though his daughter had a solid argument, but there was no guarantee that evil was done visiting Chikyuu. "Meet me in the backyard an hour after breakfast. Your lessons begin today."  
  
A delighted smile lit up her face like a Christmas tree. "Really, Papa? Oh, domo arigatou!" Bura ran around the table and hugged him with all of her strength.  
  
"Don't thank me just yet. Trunks will tell you that I don't go easy on anyone."  
  
"I don't care." She ran upstairs to get ready.  
  
Vegeta dropped his head to his hands almost as soon as she was out of sight. "I don't know a damn thing about training a female child."  
  
"It's not as if she's ningen. Bura can take a lot."  
  
"Not the point, brat. The female mind is a confusing, complicated thing. I could accidentally say something to her that would make her burst into tears! What am I supposed to do then, huh? You'll be at work and I don't have a clue how to calm a crying female."  
  
Trunks smothered a smile. "You'll be fine, Papa. Hey, if worse comes to worse you could always call Goku-san. He did train Pan after all."  
  
Hope dawned in his eyes. "You're right and Gohan's brat was even younger than Bura is now!" Though having Goku help him out with Bura was the primary reason, he couldn't help but to be happy about the potential time they would get to spend together. Vegeta considered it an added bonus.  
  
"I have to leave, but I'll come if you call me." His blue eyes silently pleaded for his father to call him. He'd been the president of Capsule Corporation for a year -- ever since Buruma died -- and he still hadn't adjusted.  
  
"You own the company, Trunks. If you despise working there so much, why can't you just hire someone to run it for you?"  
  
Trunks twisted his hands and confliction showed on his face. Obviously it was something he'd thought about (and agonized over) before. "Ojiisan spent his entire life running Capsule Corporation and Kaasan did the same. I feel like I'm dishonoring their memories by just thinking about it. It would tear me apart to actually do it."  
  
"Trunks," Vegeta said seriously, "I don't think either of them would want you to do something that made you miserable. I certainly don't."  
  
"I didn't think that you cared either way," he said while looking ashamed. "You're my Papa and I know that you love me... I guess. It's just that you don't seem to care about anything other than being the strongest and beating the crap out of Goku-san."  
  
Vegeta knew that he was right, but hadn't he seen the changes over the years? After the defeat of Majin Buu -- and the birth of Bura -- he'd concentrated more on his children than anything else. From the fusions of Vegetto and Gogeta, he'd seen deep into Goku's heart and discovered what made the man so powerful. He had a core of righteousness that Vegeta could never hope to match, but, regardless of futility, he would spend the rest of his life trying.  
  
"While, I admit, fighting with Kakarotto is enjoyable, you and Bura are my responsibility." Vegeta allowed emotion to fill his eyes, something he hadn't done in a very long time. "Your happiness is important to me. No matter how I behave, always remember that."  
  
Trunks was completely speechless. He just sat in his chair and stared at his father until Vegeta tapped his wrist. "What does that..." The young man glanced down and gasped. "Watch! Time! Late!"  
  
"At least you've got the essentials," Vegeta said with a very small smile.  
  
He jumped up and grabbed his briefcase, throwing one last look at his father. Then, on an impulse, he went over and hugged the startled Saiya-jin. "Arigatou, Papa. See you later."  
  
The prince sat there for a moment, a smile on his face, until a voice pulled him from his thoughts. "That was so sweet!"  
  
Vegeta jumped and was five seconds away from letting loose a ki attack on the owner of the voice. He turned and groaned aloud. "Kakarotto. I should have known."  
  
"Don't act like you're disappointed to see me. I know better. I could even say that you like having me around." Goku grinned.  
  
"Say one damn thing and you're hearing about it for the rest of your life," Vegeta grumbled. "Do you promise not to bring whatever I say next up again?"  
  
"I promise," he said promptly. He said it a little too fast for Vegeta tastes, but the ouji continued anyway.  
  
"Bura asked me to train her and I agreed. Ihavenodamnideahowtotrainafemalesowouldy ouhelpmedothis?"  
  
Goku blinked and processed his words. "Are you asking me for help?"  
  
"Hai." He tried not to look ashamed, but it didn't work very well. Goku opened his mouth again and the prince held up a hand. "If it's anything other than 'hai' or 'iie', I don't want to hear it."  
  
He looked at him with bright, innocent eyes. "I dunno. Maybe." Goku found himself suddenly on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. Vegeta was straddling his waist and wiggling his fingers.  
  
"Answer me correctly or I'm going to torture you." The younger Saiya-jin's eyes sparkled with humor and before he could even open his mouth, Vegeta's nimble fingers were digging into his sides.  
  
Goku squealed and began to laugh hysterically. "Hai, hai! I'll help you!" Tears fell from his eyes and he was dangerously close to wetting himself. "Onegai, 'geta. Stop tickling me!"  
  
"If I'm interrupting something, I could always come back," Bura stood in the doorway, looking at them with a humored expression on her face. She had on one of Trunks' old gi that he'd worn when he was her age with a tee-shirt underneath.  
  
The three of them went outside. "I can't believe that someone's finally gonna teach me martial arts! You two are the best!"  
  
"Just wait until you see 'geta's training methods," Goku stage whispered. He then said louder, "Bura-chan, can you fly?"  
  
She nodded. "Trunks taught me a few years ago after I begged him to death. I'm pretty sure I picked it up faster than Goten-niichan." Bra smirked. "That's something I can tease him about for years."  
  
"What else do you know?"  
  
They only covered the basics that day. Bura could fly and control her ki, but that seemed to be about the full extent of her abilities. Then, much to the delight of the girl, Goku and Vegeta sparred for her.  
  
She was absolutely entranced. "You make it look just like a dance."  
  
"That comes with decades of practice," Goku told her.  
  
"I'm gonna be that good someday and then I'll get to spar with both of you." Bura could picture it in her mind. "I bet I'll even win!" Vegeta and Goku exchanged looks and burst into laughter. Bura glared at them. "What's so funny?"  
  
"N-nothing, Bura," Vegeta gasped. "It's just that while you get stronger, so will we."  
  
Goku shook his head. "I was laughing because she sounded so much like you right then. No one would ever mistake her for someone else's daughter." The short Saiya-jin didn't know whether to be pleased... or insulted.  
  
The rest of the afternoon was spent teaching Bura how to spar. Most of it was instinctual -- she was part Saiya-jin after all -- and, by the end of the day, she felt that she could go up against Pan and know what to do.  
  
"She's only a quarter-Saiya-jin, but would probably kick my butt," she grumped. "But, if I train every single day, eventually I'll be stronger than she is. I am Vegeta's daughter after all."  
  
Vegeta looked as if he would burst with pride. "At last, someone who recognizes true strength."  
  
"I've always admired your strength, Vegeta," Goku said quietly. "Especially when no one else did."  
  
The prince smiled and stared deeply into his former rival's eyes. After five minutes went by and neither of their gazes wavered, Bura smiled to herself and went into the house. It seemed that Goten was right... for once.  
  


***

  
They were becoming closer than ever before. Jokes passed between them, gentle teasing, and even affection! Vegeta was like a brand new man.  
  
Goku was nearly one-hundred percent positive that the Saiya-jin no Ouji would accept his courtship. Now, he had to tell the older man what he wanted. That was definitely harder than it sounded.  
  
Once again they laid underneath the stars. Goku was starting to discover that the heavens gave him the courage to ask questions that would have never passed his lips otherwise.  
  
"Have you ever been in love with someone?"  
  
To say that the prince was stunned by the query would have been an understatement. He seemed to be having a lot of shock-filled moments lately. "Nani?"  
  
Goku repeated himself. "I know that you didn't feel that way about Buruma because I could see it in your eyes."  
  
"Iie, I didn't love the onna. I tried for many years for the sake of Trunks and Bura, but we weren't fooling anyone with our so-called happy marriage. In fact, I refused to go through with the silly ningen custom. It meant more to her than I was willing to give." He glanced at Goku from the corner of his eye. "Iie, I haven't ever been in love with someone."  
  
As if on cue, the chibi angel appeared.  _"Do you even know what being in love feels like?"_  
  
_"I would know if I was in love. You can't miss it, supposedly."_  
  
_"You could if you've never experienced it before. Look at Goku. What do you feel?"_  
  
_"That's none of your damn business."_  
  
The angel laughed.  _"You don't have to tell me, I already know. You love him and you're also in love with him. You want to spend the rest of your life with him, right by his side. When he's happy, you're happy. When he hurts, you hurt. Cut him and you bleed."_  
  
_"I understand that, angel. No need to go on and on about it."_  
  
_"So, do you admit it, Veggie? He needs to know. I can look at him myself and feel his heartache."_  
  
Vegeta turned onto his side and examined his sparring partner carefully. He very quickly noticed the usual things he always did. The wild hair, the bright eyes, the strong body. Then he looked deep within the man known as Son Goku to his friends, and Kakarotto to the prince. There was a tender heart and an innate sense of selflessness that never ceased to astound him.  
  
He was beautiful both inside and out.  
  
Vegeta had never known anyone who made him feel as warm inside as Goku did and probably never will. The younger Saiya-jin was one in a million, a law unto himself. He had to make a decision, one that would change both of their lives forever. Did he give in to his feelings and pursue a relationship with Goku, or did he continue to resist and leave both of them in misery?  
  
' _That's a dumb ass question,_ ' he admitted to himself. Aloud he said, "Kakarotto?"  
  
Goku turned his head. "Hai, Vegeta?"  
  
"I have been in love before."  
  
"With who?" he asked softly, almost afraid of the answer he would receive.  
  
Vegeta faced him with a real smile on his face. "I'm looking at him."  
  
The Earth-born Saiya-jin just looked at him for a moment before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out cold.  
  
"I can't believe he just did that!" Then a horror-stricken expression crossed his own face. "I can't believe I just said that!" Then Vegeta, the crowned prince of the Saiya-jin, joined his companion in unconsciousness.  
  


***

  
There was a hand where no hand other than his own had been in a long time. Vegeta stretched with cat-like grace and all but purred at the sensation. If he moved a little to the left, the feeling increased ten-fold. For several minutes he just lay there enjoying the warmth and comfort before a ki attracted his attention. Actually, there were two of them.  
  
' _What the hell?_ ' he thought to himself before turning over onto his side. His right arm came in contact with a large, warm body. Thinking nothing of it, he cuddled up to the source of the heat and slowly slid back into slumber.  
  
"No one would ever believe this," a voice whispered. "Hell, I'm not sure I believe it!"  
  
Amused laughter. "You owe me one-hundred zenni. That'll teach you to listen to me."  
  
Vegeta slowly opened his eyes, squinting a little when the bright morning sunlight hit them. "What are you two doing?"  
  
"Papa?" Trunks whispered as he backed away slowly. He hoped that maybe his father was still asleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. "Nice day, isn't it?"  
  
Goten grinned. "Especially when you're cuddling up to my tousan."  
  
The prince paused, eyes opening wide. "What did you just say?"  
  
"You heard me." Trunks threw 'shut up' looks at his best-friend (who chose to ignore him). "Seem to be pretty happy about it. At least one part of you does." Goten then snickered as Vegeta turned slightly red.  
  
"That is a natural morning phenomenon, nothing more," Vegeta said while his face darkened in color. Goku chose that moment to reach out with his left hand and clutch at his privates. The very embarrassed prince groaned as he reacted instantly.  
  
Trunks covered up his eyes. "I am not watching the father of my best-friend grope my papa. I am not watching the father of my best-friend grope my papa."  
  
"You can keep saying that," Goten said with a grin, "but it won't make it any less true. C'mon, let's leave the two of them alone." He pulled Trunks away, but not without giving the Saiya-jin a thumbs up.  
  
Vegeta stared upward at the sky while he attempted to will his problem away. "How do I tell the baka to move his hand?"  
  
_"You don't, Veggie. Besides, I'm sure you're enjoying it."_  
  
_"Whether I'm enjoying it or not isn't the point,"_  he growled.  _"How do I get out of this situation without making it worse?"_  
  
The angel tapped his chin in thought.  _"You could always go back to sleep and hope that Goku wakes up before you do. Then he could just move and everything will be fine."_  
  
_"Or you can move the damn thing yourself,"_  the devil said as he popped into existence,  _"and smack him for having the audacity to manhandle the royal heir."_  
  
_"He's not manhandling him!"_  The angel shouted.  _"Goku's being very gentle."_  
  
Vegeta covered his ears.  _"Will you two just shut up for a minute! I have a solution, myself. I'll just move and pray to Kami that he doesn't wake up."_  
  
He inched a little away from Goku and continued to do so after making sure that the other Saiya-jin was going to remain asleep. Just as he was almost free from the larger Saiya-jin's wayward hand, Goku rolled over and trapped him partially beneath his body. "Just great," Vegeta muttered. "Just fucking great." Actually, it  _was_  great, but he couldn't be seen, or heard, enjoying things as they were.  
  
_"What are ya gonna do now?"_  the angel asked curiously.  _"Your right hand's sorta pinned underneath his stomach. Just a few more inches and you could return the favor."_  
  
The devil's lips twisted upward in an evil little grin.  _"Your mouth is also really close to his ear. I say you bite it off."_  
  
He ignored both of their suggestions and instead whispered in Goku's ear. "Kakarotto, breakfast!"  
  
Goku's eyes shot open. "Breakfast? Where?!" He looked down at Vegeta (who had an annoyed expression on his face). " 'geta, what are you doing under me?"  
  
"I'm definitely not changing the oil, baka," he growled. "Get off, I have to go find a toilet before my bladder explodes."  
  
"Sorry 'bout that," Goku apologized sheepishly. His embarrassment grew worse when he realized his state of arousal. The best thing he could find to do in the situation was to ignore it. "You say something about breakfast?"  
  
"Hai. Go entertain your offspring. We eat in an hour."  
  
As Goku watched him head into the house, he couldn't help, but think that Vegeta was one of the sexiest men he'd ever seen. ' _And soon,_ ' he thought, ' _he'll be all mine._ '


	5. Chapter 5

' _Today's the day I'm going to ask him,_ ' Goku said to himself. ' _Iie, I'm going to tell him!_ '  
  
He'd never considered himself a forceful man. In fact, he was pretty docile overall. Informing someone that he was going to court them whether they wanted him to or not seemed just a little bit out of character. ' _How much do you want him, Goku? How far are you willing to go?_ ' The answer to those questions were easy: very much and very far.  
  
It was six in the morning when he called Vegeta, but he knew that the older man was already awake. The prince hardly ever slept past five-thirty.  
  
"Nani?" His voice was gruff but, then again, it always seemed to be that way.  
  
Goku took a deep breath. "Ohayo, 'geta. This phone call is very important so I want you to listen carefully."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Meet me at our usual sparring grounds in one hour. I'm going to make you mine."  
  
There was a moment of silence, then Vegeta asked, "You're going to  _what_?!"  
  
"You heard me. Meet me in an hour." Goku hung up the phone, heart pounding wildly. He'd finally done it. Vegeta would soon be his.  
  
The Earth-born Saiya-jin exited the kitchen uncertain. He had no idea what to do with himself, now. Did he head off to their sparring grounds and wait for fifty-five minutes or did he plan for the battle? After a moment, Goku made a decision. He would plan for the battle. Knowing Vegeta, he would need all of the tricks he could come up with.  
  
Ten minutes to seven, Goku arrived at the place they'd sparred at six days ago. He paced restlessly as he waited for Vegeta to arrive. What if he lost? That would be awful. He doubted that he would have another chance to prove himself to the prince.  
  
Five minutes to seven, he spotted a small dark spot in the sky. At the rate Vegeta was going, he would reach him in less than a minute. This was it, the moment he'd been waiting for. No turning back now.  
  
Vegeta dropped to the ground and walked towards him, arms folded over his chest. "We need to talk, Kakarotto."  
  
"Talk? There's nothing to talk about." On the outside, he was a perfect picture of calm. On the inside, it was an entirely different story. His stomach had hyperactive butterflies fluttering around inside of it and his mind was running around in frantic circles. One chance. He had only one chance.  
  
"We have a lot to talk about!" he glared at him but it was halfhearted. "You called my house and demanded that I meet you out here today! Not only was that extremely unusual, it was extremely rude! What do you have to say for yourself?"  
  
Goku allowed the feelings he usually received from a good battle to fill his heart. He smirked and phased out of sight. "This," he said as his fist connected solidly with Vegeta's face. The smaller Saiya-jin screamed in pain and reflexively reached up to cover the bruised area. That gave Goku time to knee him in the stomach.  
  
' _Gotta keep him off-balance,_ ' Goku repeated over and over again to himself. It was the key to success in this battle, the only way that he was going to win once and for all. There could be no tie.  
  
As they each gave the battle one-hundred percent of all they had, Vegeta had to admit that he was reveling in it. There had been few sparring matches where he could truthfully say, "Kakarotto thoroughly kicked my ass and I've never had so much fun!"  
  
_"Ooh! This is so exciting!"_  the chibi angel squealed as he tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth.  _"One-hundred zenni on Goku!"_  
  
"This is not the right time for that!" He didn't realize that he'd shouted it aloud until Goku frowned at him. "DAMN IT!"  
  
_"Temper, temper."_  His eyes grew comically wide when he suddenly found himself between Goku's fist and Vegeta's face. Even though the chibi knew that he couldn't be hurt by the large Saiya-jin, it still scared the pee out of him.  _"OH, NO!"_  
  
Vegeta started to snicker at the panicked look on the angel's face, and it turned into deep belly laughs at the confused expression on Goku's after his fist went straight through the chibi. He doubled over gasping for breath as tears fell from his closed eyes. The prince's concentration broke and he fell about ten feet from the air to the ground.  
  
"This isn't working out how I pictured it!" Goku screamed in frustration. He grunted and shot a kit blast at the unsuspecting Saiya-jin no Ouji, knocking him completely unconscious. "Kami, that was underhanded." Then he grinned. "But it worked." Goku did a little victory dance and dropped down to kneel beside Vegeta.  
  
"I am the champion," he sang quietly to himself, "I am the champion. You are the loser 'cause I am the champion...." Goku lifted his voice to the heavens. "OF THE WORLD!"  
  


***

  
Recently he'd begun visiting Trunks around lunchtime. Goten had a lot of free time around midday since one class ended at eleven forty-five and the next didn't begin until two. Sometimes he brought lunch to the older demi-Saiya-jin's office, but mostly they went out to eat. Trunks really hated spending more time at Capsule Corp. than he needed to.  
  
"I wish I could have gone to college," he sighed wistfully as he set his napkin down onto his tray. He could have easily afforded the most exclusive restaurant in Satan City, but they always seemed to end up at McDonald's. Goten loved the place for some reason.  
  
Goten laughed. "It's not all fun and games, Trunks. You have to work pretty hard most of the time and study late into the night. There's been times I've only gotten about two hours of sleep before I had to get up again." He sobered and looked down at the table. "Sometimes I feel like just dropping out, you know? But I promised Kaasan that I would make something of myself just like Gohan did and niichan was so proud when I got accepted into the university."  
  
"You're not your brother." His expression turned serious. "I'm going to tell you something that a wise man once told me. 'I don't think either of them would want you to do something that made you miserable.' It's your life, Goten. Not ChiChi-san's or Gohan's or anyone else's."  
  
"Who told you that?" the teen asked.  
  
Trunks smiled. "Papa."  
  
He was surprised, but not very much. Vegeta's metamorphosis had begun several years before. No longer did he ignore his children and train the day away. "So, you think we're going to become brothers?" Now, that would be weird, but not overly so. They were already close enough to be siblings. His mother had been against him spending time with Trunks most of his life, but, now that she wasn't around to say anything, he spent as much time as he could with him.  
  
"If we do, I get to boss you around." Trunks grinned. "I am older than you are."  
  
"By one little year!" he argued, but it was half-hearted. The argument was so old that it probably dated back to when they were still in diapers.  
  
Soon it was time for Trunks to head back to work. They stood outside Capsule Corporation and just stared at the building. "I guess I should be going, now," the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin said.  
  
"Hai," Goten responded.  
  
"I have a lot of work to do today."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Trunks exchanged looks with his best-friend. "Last one to the lake has to buy the other a present!" He was in the air before he'd even finished his sentence.  
  
"You're such a cheater!" Goten shouted as he followed him.  
  
Both school and work were instantly forgotten.  
  


***

  
"Nobody's around," Bura said to herself as she shut the door behind her. "That's weird." She'd just gotten out of school and had been walking home by herself for a year. Satan City was fairly safe, thanks to the heroic deeds of the Great Saiyaman II. Personally, everyone felt that Videl was a little too old to be running around in a goofy superhero outfit, but no one would dare say it to her face.  
  
Bura dropped her backpack into the nearest chair and headed straight to the kitchen for a snack. She'd missed lunch that day because the entire half-hour had been spent shadow-sparring in the football field. Here's to hoping that Vegeta would be proud of her for the extra training.  
  
After fixing herself a gigantic sandwich, she was about to head up to her room with her meal when she heard a strange sound. It sounded a cross between a grunt and moan. "What in the world...."  
  
The front door opened and closed behind her. "Bura-chan, why are you just standing here in the hall?" Trunks asked curiously.  
  
She turned to him with a grin on her face. "I think Papa has someone special over."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
Another round of moans floated downstairs, but they were louder this time around. "Because that's not his voice and he sounds like he's really enjoying himself."  
  
Trunks blushed several different shades of red and clapped his hands over his little sister's ears. "Kami!"  
  
Eventually the sounds of pleasure upstairs stopped. By that time, Bura had completely finished eating and Trunks' arms were becoming tired. "Hi, guys!" Goku said cheerfully as he came downstairs in just his gi pants. "How's it going?"  
  
"Are you our new mother?" Bura asked innocently.  
  
"Bura!" her brother gasped.  
  
Goku was genuinely confused by her words. "What would make you think that?"  
  
"You were making sounds like the ones in Trunks' porno movies."  
  
"Just how would you... Nevermind." He chuckled at the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin's embarrassment. "Anyway, 'geta gives a great massage. Even after I knocked him unconscious."  
  
Trunks blinked. "You mean, that's all you were doing? It sure didn't sound like it."  
  
"I guess I get a little too enthusiastic," Goku laughed. "Trunks, I need to talk to you for a minute. It's about the bonding ritual."  
  
Eyes wide, he nodded. "Okay....."  
  
"What's a bonding ritual?" Bura asked curiously. "How come no one ever told me about it?"  
  
"You're not old enough, Bura," Trunks informed her. "Can you leave us, for a few minutes? This is adult stuff."  
  
She pouted, but gave in. "No one ever tells me anything."  
  
"Goten told me about it last week, but he couldn't remember the specifics for the ritual. Can you tell me?"  
  
Like Bura, Trunks couldn't believe that Goten had been right all along. He was  _never_  right. "You want to court my papa?"  
  
Goku nodded. "Hai."  
  
"Are you sure about this? I don't want him to be hurt because you made a hasty decision." Trunks adopted a stern look on his face as he examined Goku's seriousness.  
  
"Trunks, I'm absolutely sure. Vegeta completes me."  
  
The young man nodded. "Alright, then. Step one of the bonding ritual is..."  
  


***

  
' _Does Kakarotto actually understand the full meaning of the ritual? Sometimes it seems like he's one-hundred percent on top of things and other times... Well, I don't want to call him slow because he isn't. Let's just say that Kakarotto isn't as attentive as he should be when it comes to certain things.  
  
'I don't even know if we're compatible or not. People fall in love all the time and can't stand to be around each other. Well, establishment is the first step of the ritual. We'll find out then.'_  
  
The sun was setting and Vegeta was just about ready for what he considered a very important date. After he regained consciousness that morning, he found an extremely smug Saiya-jin sitting cross-legged beside him. "Victory is mine, 'geta."  
  
"So I feel," he grunted as he sat up. "I accept your courtship."  
  
Goku grinned brightly. "Great! Okay, now what do we do?"  
  
"Well..." Vegeta, for some reason, felt like messing with his head. "We fuck like rabid weasels 'til dawn or until someone passes out from exhaustion. Whichever comes first."  
  
"We do?" he asked in disbelief. "Wow..."  
  
"I'm kidding, Kakarotto," Vegeta told him as he climbed to his feet. "Though the thought is enticing. I bet you've never had anyone that could meet you in the stamina department."  
  
He shook his head. "Iie, I haven't had anyone besides ChiChi and, although strong, she was still ningen."  
  
"You want to head back to Capsule Corp. for-" He examined the position of the sun. "-brunch? We can find something to do until tonight. The ritual must be done under the night sky."  
  
"Tonight" had now come and the prince was (uncharacteristically) nervous. He'd had many lovers in the past, but none of them had meant one-tenth as much to him as Goku did. Vegeta didn't know just when he'd started loving the younger Saiya-jin, but it felt as if he always had.  
  
There was a knock on his bedroom door. "Papa, explain the ritual to me. I don't get it at all."  
  
"Come in, Bura. Let's talk."  
  
She sat on the bed and watched him primp in front of the mirror. "Wow, you're looking pretty snazzy."  
  
Vegeta examined his black silk shirt and tight black leather pants. He had to admit that he looked good enough to eat. ' _Hopefully, Kakarotto thinks so as well._ ' Heat rose up to his cheeks as hentai thoughts invaded his mind. Oh, the things they could do in eleven hours...  
  
"Saiya-jin use a ritual to pick their mate because, on Vegeta-sei, we had no marriage ceremony. You bond mentally, emotionally, and physically with whoever you choose and become half of a whole." He chucked when the little girl's eyes grew large and elaborated. "Not permanently, Bura. It's not a Potara earring fusion. We'll still be two separate people."  
  
"Good," she said, relieved. "I like you just the way you are. How long will you be gone?"  
  
' _All night, hopefully,_ ' he thought. Aloud he said, "I'll be here when you wake up in the morning and Trunks will take good care of you in the meantime."  
  
She hugged him. "Okay, Papa. Have fun."  
  
"Oh I will, Bura-chan. I will."  
  


***

  
"What if I do something wrong?" That was the question Goku continued to ask himself every few minutes. If he screwed up the bonding ritual, he had no idea what would happen. Would Vegeta abandon the thought of becoming his lifemate because of his inadequacy?  
  
Goku groaned. "Is the ritual supposed to make me this crazy?"  
  
"Tousan, just take it easy. In just a few short hours you'll be joined with Vegeta-san. You should be excited, not nervous."  
  
"I can't help it, Goten. There's just so much I can lose right now!" Goku started to pace. His son opened his mouth to protest and his father raised his hand. "I know, I know. Trunks told me how to do the ritual in detail. First, I link my mind with Vegeta's; next, we exchange vows; then, we consummate the bond and mark each other at the, um, pinnacle." He blushed as he told Goten of the last step. He would always be his son no matter how old he became, and, to Goku, it was embarrassing to talk about sex-related things with your children.  
  
"If I notice some really weird ki spikes, just ignore them, ne?" Goten chuckled. "You two aren't trying to kill each other. Well, maybe you are. Just in another way."  
  
His face grew darker in color. "Can we please talk about something else?"  
  
"Okay. Do you think I'll be able to call him Papa, too? I don't mind if Trunks and Bura want to call you tousan. Don't know about Gohan, though."  
  
Goku's eyes widened. "Gohan! I completely forgot about him! What would he think about this?"  
  
Goten immediately grew serious and his father took that as a very bad sign. "I don't really know, but I doubt it'll be good. If it's not the same-sex thing, it's going to be because it's Vegeta. Not many people like him very much."  
  
"He's not that bad!" Goku found himself exclaiming. "I know that he glowers at people a lot, but you can't tell a damn thing about a person from the outside alone."  
  
"I know that, Tousan. It's me, remember?"  
  
He sighed. "I'm sorry, son, but they make me so angry by thinking that way. Vegeta's a wonderful person."  
  
"They don't know him like you do," Goten said gently. "Maybe someday they will."  
  
Goten talked to him until it was time for his father to leave. Goku was considerably less nervous by that time and it showed. Hugging him, the teen wished him luck. "Not that you'll need it. Vegeta-san would be an idiot to reject you."  
  
"Arigatou," he replied before taking a deep breath. "I'll be back... whenever."  
  
As Goten watched his ki trail fade off into the distance, the event only served to make his own single status more apparent. His father was going off to find true love; why couldn't he?  
  


***

  
_"Oh, Vegeta..."_  The chibi singsonged.  _"Today's the big day, huh? I'm glad I was invited to the ceremony."_  
  
The ouji's eyes narrowed.  _"You weren't."_  
  
_"I'm your conscience, you know. I'm invited to everything. Bet the devil's gonna show up when you mark each other. He just loves the sight of freshly spilled blood."_  
  
_"Well, if you must be present, please don't distract me. This is the most sacred of all rites a Saiya-jin can undergo."_  
  
The chibi took his thumb and forefinger, drew it across his tiny mouth, and rotated his fingers at the end as if turning an invisible key.  _"My lips are sealed."_  
  
_"See that they remain that way."_  
  
Usually the bonding ritual was done in complete silence (except for one part in the middle and, oftentimes, the end), but, then again, both participants usually knew what the heck they were doing. It may not have been discussed often -- because many Saiya-jin had seen the bond as a liability --, but the children were told about it just it case the bonding was initiated on its own. That almost never happened, but the bond had been known to form between two people entirely by itself and it was dangerous if you weren't aware of it.  
  
Anyway, back to the original topic. The ritual was done mostly in silence because it definitely deserved the reverence. When any two people became (figuratively) of one mind, one body, and one soul, great things happened. No longer was there a "you", there was suddenly an "us". Everything you did in your life somehow impacted the life of your lifemate from what you ate for breakfast to a battle against a sworn enemy.  _Especially_  when it came to battle.  
  
If one lifemate should happen to die before the other, the remaining partner usually lost the will to live. It just wasn't worth it when the bond was broken. It was tradition to go off and find a quiet place to end it all ritualistically, similar to what the Japanese termed  _seppuku_ , because it wasn't brave to ignore the urge... it was foolish.  
  
Vegeta hoped he would never, ever start to consider ritual suicide if Goku should happen to perish. He had a little girl to raise after all, and would stay alive for her if not for anyone, or anything, else.  
  
Kneeling on the soft grass, he nodded for Goku to begin. As the instigator of the courtship, he made the first move in the ritual. Right as Goku settled himself more comfortably on the ground, the few clouds above them parted, and the silvery light of the moon shone down upon them. Neither Saiya-jin had known that the wished-back moon was going to be full, but it did make the night additionally special.  
  
The first thing Goku needed to do was see if he could reach out and touch Vegeta's mind. He knew that he could do that with several people -- usually if they were already connected to him in some way --, but this time was different. Not only would he make contact with Vegeta's mind, he would establish a psychic link and join them mentally and emotionally forever. It had the potential to be an extremely hard task, for the ouji generally kept himself closed off to people, but Goku knew that he wanted the bond nearly as much as he did -- if not more.  
  
Closing his eyes, the younger Saiya-jin concentrated on tuning everything else out except the man kneeling before him. Everything else came in distant second to him at the moment: nothing else mattered. He tentatively reached out and his mind gently brushed against Vegeta's... and hit a solid brick wall. It wasn't surprising that he was unable to enter. Vegeta had spent majority of his life shielding himself from people. Though he understood his reasons, it hurt just the same.  
  
_"Vegeta, onegai..."_  he said silently.  _"Will you let me inside? I promise that I'll never, ever hurt you. Just what are you so afraid of?"_  
  
He heard a heavy sigh.  _"Everything. The bond makes you completely vulnerable to the person that you form it with, Kakarotto. It would be very easy for you to hurt me."_  
  
_"Look deep inside your heart. Do you truly believe I would harm you?"_  
  
He paused for only a brief moment.  _"Iie."_  
  
_"Do you believe that I wouldn't treat the bond with the respect that it deserves?"_  
  
_"Iie."_  
  
_"Will you let me inside?"_  
  
In reply, an open doorway appeared in the wall before Goku and a rectangle of darkness shone through. He looked back at the brilliant green field dotted with colorful flowers and then to the blasted, naked earth before him. Without hesitation, he crossed the threshold.  
  
Where he stepped, plants sprouted in a broad line and the dark clouds above parted like the Red Sea had done for Moses. Full sunlight shone down upon a land that had been without for several decades and it was beautiful.  
  
Goku smiled and opened his eyes. He was more aware of Vegeta than ever before, sort of like a constant warmth in the background of his mind. The ouji also smiled and he received a mental thank you.  
  
_"It was worth the risk, Kakarotto."_  
  
_"I'm glad you feel that way. Okay! Time for part two!"_  He cleared his throat. This was the part that needed to be spoken aloud. Trunks told him that Saiya-jin wanted all of creation to know of their union. More specifically, the new couple wanted their enemies to know that there were now two people they had to go up against. "We've known each other for thirty-six years, but it seems like forever. Something about you attracted me right from the start, even before we were allies.  
  
"Then Buruma asked me to look after you. At first I felt overwhelmed by the task but, as time wore on, I found myself falling in love. Suddenly, it wasn't about an obligation I had to my friend, it was about you and the joy I felt when we spent time together.  
  
"People say that you only care for yourself, that you don't have the capacity for love. I know different. You may not show your true emotions often, but it's as they say: 'The rarer the flower, the sweeter it smells.'  
  
"Vegeta, I promise to love, honor, and cherish you for the rest of my life and beyond. You mean everything to me."  
  
Vegeta's face was completely blank and that would have upset someone else. When a person made a declaration of love to you, weren't you supposed to show some sort of emotion? If Goku hadn't made a link with the ouji, he might have been heartbroken. As it was, he felt a wave of emotion wash over him that caused his entire body to tingle. It didn't have a name (at least not one he'd ever heard of), but Goku thought of it as something even more profound than love.  
  
"My words will pale in comparison to yours," he said after a long moment, his cheeks slightly damp with tears. "I'm just not very good with them."  
  
Goku smiled gently. "Your vows don't have to be perfect, 'geta, just say what's in your heart."  
  
"When I look at you, I see everything I could ever hoped to receive from another person. Kindness, compassion, safety, love... You're absolutely perfect from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Before I met you I knew only darkness and it owned me heart and soul. Then you went where no man, or woman, had ever dared tread before and your purity filled me with light. I can never repay you for all that you've done for me, but I offer myself and my love to you with hope that you will have me by your side for all eternity."  
  
Goku wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "I couldn't have said it better myself." After he'd regained his composure somewhat, he silently asked,  _"I need to mark you to show everyone that you're mine, right? I have to admit that it sounds a little primitive."_  
  
_"We were a primitive race, Kakarotto. For millennia Saiya-jin thought that the weak could become powerful by drinking the blood of the strong."_  
  
_"Do you believe it?"_  
  
He snorted.  _"I know better. Doing it as a part of the ritual is different, however. I will have a part of you running through my veins for the rest of my life."_  
  
_"Well, since you put it that way..."_  Goku had to admit that it now sounded very attractive.  _"We have to consummate our bond, right? We're sort of on our honeymoon now."_  
  
_"Isn't that a ningen custom?"_  he asked.  _"But the answer to your question is hai."_  Amusement suddenly flowed through their connection.  _"Why, Kakarotto, are you nervous?"_  
  
His face flushed scarlet.  _"I've, um, never had sex with a man before. I'm not even sure I know what two men can do together."_  
  
By the light of the moon, Goku saw Vegeta crawl towards him, his hips swaying softly. He felt the flames of desire heat his body to an uncomfortable temperature. Licking his lips, he remained perfectly still as the ouji placed his hands onto his chest and gently pushed him backwards to the ground.  
  
"Relax," he breathed into his ear, causing the younger Saiya-jin to shiver at the sensation. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you." He touched his lips to Goku's, gently adding pressure until he felt the younger man deepen the kiss. For a minute they merely kissed, allowing Goku time to become used to the idea of intimacy with someone of the same sex. When Vegeta's hands began to roam along his sides, he was ready.  
  
Suddenly (and without warning), Goku flipped over so that the Saiya-jin no Ouji was pinned beneath his larger body. He grinned at the briefly stunned look on Vegeta's face and began to rapidly undress the smaller man. "It's time to get serious," he informed him.  
  
Vegeta's eyelids lowered slightly and a low, rumbling purr came from deep within his chest that drew an answering purr from his mate. "About damn time."  
  
Their first union was hard and fast and Goku was barely able to remove his clothes before Vegeta tore them from his body. Roaming hands caressed heated flesh and moist tongues left trails of fire in their wake. At the height of his passion, Goku leaned down and sank his teeth into the smooth flesh of Vegeta's neck and sucked the coppery-tasting blood from the small wound. The ouji felt the pain mingle with the pleasure and it pushed him over the edge.  
  
With many fervent cries, the two Saiya-jin saw the world explode into millions of brightly colored lights. Goku struggled to catch his breath as he collapsed on top of Vegeta, happy that he didn't have to worry about crushing him. After his heartbeat slowed, he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the twinkling stars. "Wow."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Goku grinned. "Can we do that again?"  
  
Vegeta looked down at his still-erect manhood and a naughty smile shaped his lips. "That can be arranged. But this time, Kakarotto, I am seme."  
  
The only response he received was a gulp.


	6. Chapter 6

During the course of the night, they'd done it at least five-and-a-half more times. It was "half" because Goku fell asleep on top of Vegeta before obtaining sexual gratification. Secretly, his mate was happy because he was so worn out that his asshole was numb. Well, he did tell Goku before that they were going to fuck until the sun came up or they passed out from exhaustion. It was a toss-up to determine which had come first.  
  
Around noon, the rumbling of a large stomach woke the prince. He groaned as the bright sunlight hit his eyes and immediately buried his face in Goku's neck. That caused many of his stiff muscles to protest.  
  
"I will never, ever have sex all night then sleep for several hours on the ground again," he swore.  
  
"But you really seemed to enjoy it," Goku muttered sleepily. "Especially when my mouth found your-"  
  
Vegeta covered his mouth and blushed. "Just don't tell anyone about that, okay?"  
  
The younger Saiya-jin only grinned.  
  
He slowly sat up, assessing the damage he'd done to his body. His neck, shoulders, and legs were stiff, his lower back ached, and his ass was almost completely numb, but it was nothing a little massage wouldn't take care of. "Kakarotto, can you-?"  
  
_"Wowie! What performances!"_  The angel enthused as he appeared before Vegeta's face. In all honesty, the ouji had forgotten that he'd seen everything from last night. _"Overall, I give you a nine-point-five, Vegeta. You lost points in the eroticism category. If only you had begged him or screamed just a little louder..."_  
  
_"Can you please leave me alone today?"_  
  
_"Why, Veggie? It's so fun!"_  
  
Goku raised his head to gaze at the spectacle he saw before his face. Who would have thought that all those times the ouji burst out into sudden annoyance or anger had been the cause of a chibi angel Vegeta? He would have never believed it if he didn't live the life he did.  _"So you're the reason Vegeta tends to act a little insane sometimes."_  
  
Both Vegeta and his little chibi counterpart's eyes opened wide when his voice invaded both of their minds.  _"The psychic bond must be the reason you can see me now,"_ the angel mused. The he grinned.  _"SUGOI!"_  
  
Big Vegeta was just as happy.  _"I'm not crazy!"_  
  
Then the chibi devil decided to make an appearance.  _"I'm so disappointed with you, Vegeta. You weren't supposed to bond with that baka, you were supposed to kill him!"_  Having not heard the previous conversation, he had no idea that Goku could hear every single word he said.  
  
_"Why was he supposed to kill me?"_  
  
The devil yelped and quickly flew backward away from the large Saiya-jin.  _"You can hear me?! That shouldn't be possible!"_  
  
_"Well, it is. Now answer the question."_  
  
_"Um..."_  The devil was embarrassed and that always made him angry. He shook his tiny fist in Goku's direction, but it was pretty hard to look menacing when you were six inches tall.  _"YOU ARE A THIRD-CLASS BAKA, UNFIT EVEN TO LICK THE SAIYA-JIN NO OUJI'S BOOT!"_  
  
Vegeta blinked.  _"I think I may have said that already... But I didn't mean it!"_  He hastily added when he saw Goku's hurt look. The ouji glared at the little devil.  _"I've told you before that you'll never get what you want from me. Leave me the hell alone!"_  
  
Goku felt the distress coming from his mate in waves. Vegeta was worried that he would eventually give in to the devil's wishes and go around causing random destruction and mayhem. Goku knew, deep within his heart, that his ouji would never do evil things again, but Vegeta still harbored a tiny kernel of doubt.  
  
_"He isn't like than anymore,"_  Goku told the dark chibi firmly,  _"and never will be again."_  
  
_"You can't be sure of that; no one can."_  He turned towards Vegeta and his lips twisted up into a smirk.  _"You know you want to let go. Stop pretending to be something that you're not. Once evil, always evil."_  
  
Vegeta hesitated in his answer. What if he was right? What if he'd never really changed? Just as the uncertainty threatened to overwhelm him, he felt Goku's strong presence come to the fore of his mind. No doubt came from the younger Saiya-jin; there was only absolute certainty of his goodness.  
  
_"I worked hard to become a good person for the sake of my children, my mate, and myself. No one will ever persuade me to return to my old ways. You being here is just a waste of time, devil."_  
  
_"I will never give up!"_  the chibi vowed before he disappeared.  
  
"As long as I have you by my side, I will always have the willpower to resist temptation," Vegeta told Goku. Tears immediately sprang to the larger man's eyes and he crushed his mate to him in a hug. The ouji gasped and his eyes bulged outward at the pressure. "Kakarotto! Air!"  
  
"Gomen nasai, 'geta!" Goku exclaimed as he released him. "Guess I don't know my own strength sometimes."  
  
_"I'm going to take off just in case you guys want to get around to reaching six."_  The angel waved.  _"Ja ne!"_  He vanished in a small puff of white smoke.  
  
"Reach six?" Vegeta asked aloud. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before shaking their heads and saying in unison, "Not today!"  
  


***

  
Goten was keeping Trunks and Bura company as they waited for their fathers to come home. Vegeta hadn't kept his word to Bura about returning before she woke the next morning, but the little girl wasn't upset. Her papa was happy and that's all that mattered.  
  
"When do you think they'll get here?" Goten asked curiously. "Must have had a great time last night 'cause they're still asleep!"  
  
Trunks covered up Bura's ears. "Not in front of the chibi!"  
  
She frowned and pushed him away. "I'm not an idiot, Trunks. I know that Papa and Goku-san did their bonding ritual thingy last night. I know that you finish things up with sex. Hai," she said when the expression on her brother's face turned to shock, "I know about sex. The ritual was like a wedding ceremony and people usually have sex afterward on their honeymoon."  
  
"How do you know about things like that?! You're only eight years old!"  
  
Bura grew sad as she remembered. "When Kaasan found out that she was... dying, she talked to me about sex. She didn't know if Papa would tell me anything and wanted to be sure just in case."  
  
"He would have told you," Trunks said, completely sure of it. "Papa wouldn't want someone to take advantage of you because you didn't know anything."  
  
Goten suddenly raised his head towards the ceiling. "Vegeta's ki suddenly rose, but Tousan's is still the same. He must be angry."  
  
"When isn't he?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Iie, it's different this time," Goten frowned. "More of a righteous anger."  
  
"Ah." The younger demi-Saiya-jin had always been better at interpreting changes in ki signatures. Goku was very good at it, as well.  
  
About ten minutes later, the two of them appeared next to the living room sofa. "Hi, everybody!" Goku greeted.  
  
Bura grinned. "Hi, Doctor Nick!" Everyone burst into laughter except Vegeta who didn't really see what was funny. "You see, Papa, Dr. Nick is from The Simpsons and he..." She trailed off when his puzzled expression didn't change. "Nevermind."  
  
"Did you have a nice evening?" Goten asked with a smile.  
  
"Definitely," Goku answered at the same time Vegeta said, "It's none of your business."  
  
Bura began to jump up and down. "We have gifts for you! Wait right here, okay? I'm gonna go get mine." She raced upstairs before either could even open their mouth. Thrusting a flat rectangular box in their direction, Bura stood back and carefully watched their expressions as they opened it.  
  
"It's a photo album," Trunks said. "From Bura and me. We put in special pictures of all of your children and left a lot of room in the back for you to add your own."  
  
"Arigatou, Trunks. Arigatou, Bura. It's a very nice gift." Goku was truly touched. Then Goten brought out his gift.  
  
"Don't open this until you're in private," he grinned as he handed them a large square box. Goku shook it a little.  
  
"What's inside?"  
  
He moved closer to whisper in his ear. "Tons of whipped cream and chocolate syrup."  
  
Goku blushed. "Are you serious?!"  
  
"Yep. Now you can make Saiya-jin Sundaes." Goten hugged his father. "Congratulations, Tousan." He embraced Vegeta. "Congratulations, Papa. Welcome to the family."  
  


***

  
By just watching their facial expressions and body language, you could tell that both Goku and Vegeta were completely in love. Neither would let the other out of his sight for very long and they touched at every opportunity. Goten became depressed just by observing them. Oh, he was happy that they'd discovered true bliss, but he wanted the same for himself.  
  
None of the people he'd ever gone out with, male or female, had that special something that kept him coming back for more. Goten had found fault with every last one. Too short, too tall, too clingy, too flirtatious, talks too much... It was as if no person on Chikyuu was good enough for him.  
  
Actually, there was one...  
  
Trunks had been his best-friend for as long as he could remember. His earliest memory was of the older demi-Saiya-jin dumping sand down his diaper at a park. Despite Trunks' practical jokes and often rude behavior, they'd become like family.  
  
Now, though, Goten wanted to make the young man into something more. The urge wasn't new (it had existed ever since he'd hit puberty), but he never had enough courage to do something about it before. Things were different now. Their fathers had fallen in love and bonded in every way possible, paving the way for their closeted son. Trunks wasn't against their relationship and, because his father liked men, there was at least a fifty percent chance he did as well.  
  
If only he had just a little bit more courage.  
  
"What's on your mind, son?" Goku asked after he watched Goten stare off into space for ten nearly minutes. It was after dinner and they were the only two left at the table.  
  
Goten glanced around to make sure that no one else was around to overhear. "Can I ask you a hypothetical question?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"What if, hypothetically, I was in love with someone that I don't think loves me back? At least, not in the way I want."  
  
"How long have you known this person?" Goku grinned when Goten frowned. "Hypothetically speaking, of course."  
  
"A long time. A very long time."  
  
"It seems to me that you should just tell this person how you feel. How do you think they would react?"  
  
Goten shrugged. "Sometimes I think they would be okay with it. Other times, some of the comments they make causes me to think that maybe telling them wouldn't be a very good idea."  
  
Goku smiled knowingly at him. "Are they male or female?"  
  
"Hypothetically speaking..." Goten sighed. "Aw, screw it. I'm talking about Trunks. Do you think he loves me the way that I love him?"  
  
"That's not for me to say. If Trunks wants you to know the answer to that, he'll let you know himself." Goku patted his shoulder on his way out of the room. "Whatever you choose to do about this, I'm behind you all the way."  
  
He smiled. "Arigatou, Tousan. I'll do the right thing and make you proud."  
  
"Goten, you always make me proud." Goku kissed him on the top of his head and left him to his thoughts.  
  


***

  
"I have a friend that needs advice, Papa," Trunks said as he dried the dishes his father washed. The dishwasher needed repairing.  
  
One dark eyebrow rose. "And you came to  _me_? What about Kakarotto or Goten?"  
  
"Er, iie. You're the best person for the job, believe it or not."  
  
Vegeta stared at him, but said nothing for a moment. "What's your friend's problem?"  
  
"There's this person that he likes..."  
  
"Does he think they're not interested?"  
  
Trunks shook his head. "Oh, iie. I-, um, he doesn't have that problem. He doesn't know how to be with them."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"There are certain things expected of him, you know? Being with this person will definitely prevent him from fulfilling some wishes. I thought you would understand this because you felt that a relationship between you and Tousan would never work out. My friend thinks that the expectations would come between them."  
  
His father stopped playing the game, and gave his advice directly to the person who really sought it. "Trunks, you are not my only heir and my blood still has a chance to be passed on through Bura. Is there anything else you think that your mother and I expected of you?"  
  
He sighed and stood with his elbows on the counter. "Kaasan willed Capsule Corp. to me and, when I die, I'll have no one to pass it on to. I know that neither she or ojiisan would want it to leave the family."  
  
"Who said that you'll never have any children?" Vegeta inquired. "You could take in a kid that none of the ningen want. Um, adopt."  
  
Trunks sighed. "I guess..."  
  
Drying his hands off, he folded his arms across his chest and acquired a stern look (something he was definitely good at). "Answer a few questions for me, boy."  
  
His son stood up straight reflexively and nodded. "Hai, sir."  
  
"Does this man make you happy?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Can you imagine a life without him?"  
  
"Iie."  
  
"Will you forget about what other people might want and focus on your own happiness?"  
  
Trunks smiled. "Hai."  
  
"Good." He smiled slightly at him. "Goten will be lucky you have you."  
  
The kitchen door opened and Goten walked in. "Trunks..."  
  
"Goten..."  
  
In unison, they said, "I have something to tell you."  
  
Vegeta left the room with a self-satisfied smile on his face. "Damn, I'm good."


	7. Chapter 7

Bura woke everyone up bright and early (seven-thirty a.m.) to propose an idea. Since Christmas was just around the corner (in less than a week actually), she thought they should all head over to the mall to purchase the gifts she knew they forgot. Since no one had bought anything, the men had to admit it was a good idea.  
  
After holding a brief funeral ceremony over the death of her piggy bank (one that everyone was forced to attend), Bura took her life's savings of 77,926 zenni ($635 or £408) and crammed it into her wallet. "Jeez, I need a credit card."  
  
"Are you ready to go yet, Bura?" Trunks called from across the hall. As soon as the eulogy was over, he'd gone back to his room to finish dressing.  
  
"In a minute!" After figuring that her wad of bills just weren't going to fit into the wallet, she grabbed the backpack purse her mother bought for her seventh birthday from the back of the closet and dropped it inside. "With room to spare."  
  
Vegeta was rummaging through the fridge and Goku was commenting about everything he started to select. "That'll rot your teeth, 'geta. How about eating some cereal?"  
  
"Don't have enough cereal for five people, baka. We don't have enough of anything."  
  
"We can go to McDonald's!" Goten suggested with a grin. "Oh please, can we go?"  
  
Goku nodded and shut the fridge door, narrowly missing Vegeta's fingers. "Sure, son!"  
  
Vegeta frowned. "What if I don't want to go to McDonald's? What if I want to eat chocolate?" Goku leaned down and whispered something into his ear that made him blush. The next thing they knew, Vegeta was outside the front door. "Come on, people! I don't have all day!"  
  
After causing the restaurant to shut its doors after only being open for two hours, the five Saiya-jin headed off to the Satan City mall. Just like its namesake city, the mall contained a giant fountain of Satan-san in the center.  
  
"Every time I see his stupid grinning face, I want to spit in it," Vegeta muttered as he stared up at the stone figure. "Why hasn't he died by now?"  
  
"Because his luck hasn't run out yet," Trunks answered. "The man has more lives than a cat."  
  
Bura was tired of all the "die Satan-san" talk that she always heard. "Forget about him, okay? Let's just shop till we drop!" She grabbed Vegeta's hand. "I'm goin' with Papa and Tousan!"  
  
"Fine with me," Trunks shrugged.  
  
She grabbed both Saiya-jin's hands and swung them happily. "First stop is the toy store, okay? I'm gonna make a list."  
  
"I'm damn glad your mother willed me some money." Goku smiled at his mate, knowing that he would have found a way to buy Bura what she wanted even if he was completely broke.  
  
"I need to go there, too. Gotta shop for Pan-chan, you know."  
  
The little girl's eyes lit up at the mention of his granddaughter's name. "I'm her aunt, aren't I? That is so cool!"  
  
Once inside the huge Toys 'N' Stuff store, Bura immediately ran off with a notepad and a pencil. Vegeta, not really knowing what to do, followed Goku.  
  
"What are you going to buy her?" he asked.  
  
"The best presents in the store." Goku stopped in front of a gigantic doll house that was almost as large six-year-old Pan. "Gotta get all of the accessories, too." Underneath the display was the house itself (unassembled of course), dolls, furniture, and other home-related things. He sent Vegeta back to the front of the store for a shopping cart.  
  
Vegeta eyes widened with every object he placed into the cart. "Do you even have any money?"  
  
"Sure I do. Remember the last tournament? I won first place, you know. Then there's the money left over from ChiChi's life insurance since she wanted to be cremated. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I spent it on Pan-chan."  
  
Placing his hand over his Goku's as the younger man placed yet another thing into the shopping cart, Vegeta smiled. "I'll go half with you. These gifts can be from both of us."  
  
"Great!" he cheered as he jogged down the aisle while pushing the cart. "Let's go get more stuff!"  
  
"Kakarotto, that wasn't permission to go crazy!"  
  


***

  
"I want this and this and this and... Ooh! Of course I want this!" Bura scribbled rapidly as she went through the store. She stopped in the middle of the video game aisle and added a game to her hand basket. "Goten will like this one."  
  
Goku stopped as he passed by. "Hey, Bura. How's it coming?"  
  
"Great, Tousan! I'm almost one-fourth of the way done with my list!"  
  
"How many things are on it?" Vegeta asked.  
  
She smiled innocently. "Only about twenty...."  
  
"And you're only one-fourth of the way done?!"  
  
His mate waved his hand dismissively. "Stop acting as if you're shocked. Bura's just taking advantage of a good thing."  
  
She smiled again, brighter this time. Vegeta felt his tiny amount of resistance fade away. "Oh, alright Bura," he gave in. "I don't know why I let you do this to me."  
  
"Because I'm your little princess and you love me." She hugged him and skipped off. "Thank you, Papa and Tousan! Ai shiteru!"  
  
"Aw!" Goku cooed as he thrust a five foot tall teddy bear into Vegeta's arms. The cart was becoming a little too full. "You're such a nice guy, 'geta."  
  
"Do you think Pan really needs a stuffed animal this big, Kakarotto? Hell, it's almost larger than I am!"  
  
Goku looked at the bear and then at something else. "You think she would like a laptop more?"  
  
Vegeta shook his head and hid a smile. "Let's stick with the bear."  
  
They shopped for twenty minutes more and found Bura standing open-mouthed in the bike aisle. "Ooh!"  
  
"You like that one?" her Papa asked after he followed her gaze.  
  
"Very, very much! It's got eighteen speeds, hand brakes, a water bottle, and a handlebar pouch!" She pointed to the shelf behind her. "I could even get a license plate with my name on it! If you get me nothing else, please get me this bike."  
  
Neither man could say no. "We'll see," Goku told her.  
  
The total amount of Pan's presents came to 52,094.09 zenni ($424.50 or £272.87). Bra, on the other hand, only spent 6,134.70 ($49.99 or £32.13). Vegeta talked Bura into carrying a few of the nine bags and they moved onward to another store.  
  
"I have to get something for Trunks," she said as they walked toward the department store. "You wanna come with?" Her Papa gave her a look and she grinned. "I know, I know. I'm only eight; of course you're coming with."  
  
"What does he like, anyway?" Goku asked curiously. "I know what I'm going to get Goten: a gift certificate for McDonald's. Hmm, do they even have them?"  
  
"Hai, Tousan. Your certificate's going to have to be more than Pan's gifts combined because Goten-niichan eats too much."  
  
"Oi, Goku!" They heard a voice call from behind them. The three of them turned and each had a different reaction on their faces. Vegeta groaned, Bura giggled, and Goku grinned.  
  
The younger Saiya-jin bowed before his sensei. "Konnichi-wa, Kamesennin. How's it going?" Both Bura and Vegeta stared at him when Goku put a clueless expression on his face. It was one they hadn't seen for a very long time.  
  
"Things have been great, especially since Kuririn and Juuhachi-gou have moved out." The old man grinned. "They were disrupting my flow."  
  
Vegeta snorted. "What flow? No sane female would want you, Roshi."  
  
"That wasn't very nice, Papa," Bura said, but she laughed anyway.  
  
Roshi waved away his comment. "Whatever. Look, Goku, we're having a Christmas party at my house on the 24th and everyone's invited. I called your house earlier and it's like no one's ever home." One eyebrow rose. "Where are you all day? Sparring with Vegeta?"  
  
"Um, hai. I'm always over at the Capsule Corp." A light bulb seemed to snap on over his head. "How about having the party there? I don't mind." Then it hit him what he said and he hurried to correct himself. "I mean  _Vegeta_  doesn't mind. Hehehe."  
  
"Oh, really? He seems less than thrilled at the suggestion to me."  
  
The ouji was, in fact, wholeheartedly against it. Well, he was until Goku mentally pleaded with him.  _"I can use the time to tell them about us, 'geta. Christmas usually warms people's hearts."_  
  
 _"Why do you have to tell them anything? It's not any of their business."_  
  
 _"They're my friends, you know that. I don't want to keep any secrets from them."_  
  
A lengthy pause, then.  _"Alright."_  
  
Goku smiled. "How about making it a Christmas slumber party? Everyone can bring their presents over and put them underneath the tree. There are more than enough rooms for everyone."  
  
"What tree?" Bura asked.  
  
"The one we're gonna buy today."  
  
Vegeta immediately opened his mouth to protest and one look from Goku made him close it again. "Hmph."  
  
"I'll start calling people as soon as I return home. See you later, Goku. Bura." Roshi barely glanced at the ouji. "Vegeta."  
  
"Sayonara, Pervert," he sneered. "Good riddance!"  
  
As soon as Roshi was out of hearing range, Bura put her hands on her hips and frowned at her tousan. "What was that all about?"  
  
"Nani?" Goku asked with false innocence.  
  
"Don't give me that! You aren't a baka no matter how often Papa calls you one. Why in the world did you act like one just now?"  
  
Vegeta nodded. "That's a very good question."  
  
He tried to avoid answering, but neither would let it go. "Look, they're all used to me acting like an idiot, okay? Very few people know the real me."  
  
"Why hide from them, Tousan? They're supposed to be your friends, right?"  
  
"Well, hai, but it's not that simple. If I suddenly deviated from what they know as the norm, they'd wonder why I waited so long. What will I tell them?"  
  
Both Bura and Vegeta answered at the same time. "The truth."  
  
"I can try, anyway."  
  


***

  
Trunks and Goten sat in the very back of the mall movie theater in a corner that probably hadn't seen a mop in quite some time. In fact, Trunks was pretty sure that the employees had all but forgotten about it. "All this to make out," he grumbled as he pulled his foot from the floor in a loud sucking noise. "My shoes will never be the same."  
  
"Shh! The movie's starting!"  
  
For the first ten minutes they watched in silence, Goten stuffing popcorn into his mouth and Trunks eating Sour Patch Kids. Once the younger demi-Saiya-jin's food was gone, though, he wanted to move on to something a little more involved...  
  
The next thing Trunks knew, Goten's mouth was descending upon his. There wasn't a prelude, he just went straight to the main event. "Are you trying to suck the air right out of my body?" Trunks gasped as Goten moved away. It wasn't that he didn't like it, just would have been better at reduced speed.  
  
"Oh, gomen nasai, Trunks." He kissed the length of his neck with agonizing slowness. "Is this better?" The lavender-haired man claimed his lips again and Goten grinned.  
  
"Why are you guys over here in the corner?" asked a voice. The two of them immediately jumped apart and tried to act as if they hadn't been doing a thing. "Don't even try to act like you weren't making out. Can't say that I'm surprised."  
  
Trunks looked over to the left from the corner of his eye. He sighed in relief when he saw who it was. "Marron!"  
  
The blond teenager grinned. "That's my name, don't wear it out."  
  
"What are you doing here?" Goten asked.  
  
Marron sat down in the seat beside Trunks. "Watching the movie, something the two of your aren't." Both of them blushed and she laughed. "Oh, it's okay. If I were here with someone even half as sexy as two of you, I wouldn't be watching it either."  
  
The Capsule Corp. heir didn't know whether to be embarrassed or flattered. He settled on a combination of the two. "Um..."  
  
"Hey, don't mind me. Just go back to what you were doing before I announced my presence."  
  
"How long were you watching before you said anything?" Goten asked.  
  
"Not very long; about two minutes."  
  
He groaned. "That's two minutes too long!" Goten said that a little too loudly and was shushed by at least five people. "Hey, I'm trying to have a conversation here!"  
  
"Forget about it, Goten. The mood's broken; we might as well watch the movie I paid for."  
  
Marron was feeling a little guilty. "I ruined things for you, didn't I? I'm sorry."  
  
Trunks waved away her apology. "Don't worry about it. Goten and I have the rest of our lives."  
  
After the movie, they walked the mall with Marron until lunchtime. She waved goodbye to them and went looking for her parents (who were also Christmas shopping). The two demi- Saiya-jin found a place to eat (McDonald's, of course) and waited for the other three to show up.  
  
"We didn't do much shopping," Goten said as he eyed their two bags. Before the movie, they'd spent majority of their time waiting in the check out line at Pringle's. Goten had brought Bura an outfit and Vegeta a tee that had "I'm too sexy for this shirt." on it. Trunks had bought himself a pair of shoes.  
  
"There's still a few days before Christmas, we've got plenty of time." He looked up and spotted Bura, Goku, and Vegeta coming towards them. His little sister was pulling a huge wagon loaded down with at least seven bags and his fathers were each carrying four more. "Well, they won't have visit the stores again."  
  
"Hi, guys!" Bura said cheerfully before she parked the wagon and went up to order her food. Goku and Vegeta exchanged smiles when they heard Trunks' comment.  
  
"Oh, most of this stuff is Pan's. We still have to come back for Bura." Goku shrugged when his two sons gave him looks of incredulity. "I just couldn't resist."  
  
Bura deposited her very full tray onto the table and began to separate her food by type. "I bought some presents for people, but I'm not even close to being finished." She paused for a moment to eat a cheeseburger while Goku and Vegeta went to order. "What do you think they'd want for Christmas?"  
  
Goten shrugged. "They'll probably love whatever you give them."  
  
"I know, but I want it to be special!" She pursed her lips in thought. "I still have about 69,495 zenni left so I could get them something really good."  
  
"And still buy presents for everyone you want to?"  
  
Sighing, she said, "Iie."  
  
"Buy for everyone else first, then think about them. You could even make them something."  
  
Bura opened her mouth to say something else, but abruptly closed it when her fathers returned to the table. Vegeta studiously ignored the silence, but Goku looked around the table. "Okay, what's going on?"  
  
"Nothing," the three of them chorused.  
  
"Hmm," he hummed, unconvinced. Eventually shrugging, he started in on his own small mountain of food.  
  
Ten minutes later, they were all stuffed and had acquired a crowd of onlookers who had made bets about how much they could eat. Most of the ningen thought Bura wouldn't last three burgers but, of course, she proved all of them wrong. They may have been surprised at the little girl, but they were definitely surprised at Goku and Goten. None of them had thought that the Son men could actually eat their own weight in food.  
  
"I made a lot off those people," Vegeta smiled as he counted his cash. "That'll teach them not to judge a book by its cover."  
  
"It wasn't really fair of you to even bet, 'geta. You knew we could eat that much."  
  
"Hai, but they didn't know that."  
  
Goku and Vegeta went on home to begin wrapping the gifts, while the three kids stayed at the mall several more hours. Bura eventually settled on a twenty-four carat gold id bracelet for Trunks and an engraved gold-plated heart-shaped plaque for the two full Saiya-jin. It read on the front: Kakarotto and Vegeta. Bonded December 19th. A love to last forever.


	8. Chapter 8

"I can't believe I let him talk me into this," Vegeta grumbled to himself as he shoved yet another batch of cookies into the oven. "Worse yet, I can't believe I'm baking!" He removed the oven mitts from his hands and thought back to Goku's words of just a few hours ago.  
  
 _"Can you cook for the party today and tomorrow, 'geta? Your food always tastes so good."_  
  
"One word from that baka and I'm mixing up cookie batter."  
  
The kitchen door silently opened and a small figure tip-toed across the kitchen floor. She was just a foot away from the table when her papa caught her. "Bura, if you lay one finger on those cookies I'm going to hit you."  
  
She grinned. "No, you won't! You know that threats don't mean anything when the person you're threatening doesn't believe you." Snatching a cookie, she skipped from the kitchen. "Ja, Papa!"  
  
In the family room, Trunks and Goten were arguing about the placement of the six-foot tall Christmas tree. "It needs to be over just a little bit more to the right, Chibi!" the older demi-Saiya-jin said.  
  
"Iie, Trunks! It should stay right where it is!"  
  
"Move it!"  
  
"Leave it alone!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Bura shouted. Both of her brothers stared at her in mute shock. "That's better. I think the tree should be moved an few inches to the left." They did what she said and, smiling, Bura went to find more wrapping paper.  
  
"When is everyone coming over?" Goten asked curiously. He wondered how much time he had to run back to the mall for Trunks' gift. It would be crowded on Christmas Eve, but the sale prices would be worth it.  
  
Trunks came from behind the tree and dusted the pine needles from his clothes. "They'll probably start arriving around five this evening." ' _That'll give me enough time to get his gift. It should be ready by this afternoon._ '  
  
Vegeta cooked all morning and afternoon with the others helping him along the way. By four o'clock he felt that there was enough to feed two full Saiya-jin, four demi-Saiya-jin, a quarter Saiya-jin, ten ningen, two animals, and two others (Buu and Chaozu).  
  
"It's almost five o'clock, is everyone ready?" Goku called.  
  
Bura hopped into the room on one foot, struggling with her shoe. "I'm ready."  
  
"Us, too," Trunks examined himself in the hall mirror and gently moved a strand of hair into place. "Looking good," he told his reflection with a smile. Goten promptly moved it back with a flick of his finger and took the comb from his boyfriend's hands.  
  
"You can't reach it! Nyah-Nyah!"  
  
He hopped and hopped, but Goten's arm was just a little too high. "DAMN MY SHORT GENES!"  
  
"If either of you break anything in there, I'm kicking your ass!" Vegeta called from the kitchen. Goten immediately stopped playing around and straightened Trunks' hair.  
  
"There you go," Goten said with a smile. He kissed Trunks on the nose just as he opened the door.  
  
Marron grinned at them. "You two are so lucky that it's only me." She pushed a bag full of gifts into Trunks' arms, one into Goten's, and set her overnight bag next to the door as she removed her outerwear. "Does anyone else besides me know about you two?"  
  
"Well, not anyone outside of this house..." Trunks replied as he deposited her presents in the family room. "You wouldn't have known if you hadn't bumped into us."  
  
"The right place at the right time." She lowered her voice. "Does Vegeta-san know? He's usually not the most accepting of things..."  
  
Goten burst into laughter and covered his mouth. His boyfriend elbowed him in the side. "Let's just say that I don't think it'll be a problem."  
  
"Konban-wa, minna," Kuririn greeted as he and Juuhachi-gou entered the house. "It looks like we're early."  
  
"Hai, Tousan. We're the first." Marron walked into the other room and just stared at the tree. "Nice, but don't you think it's a little bare?"  
  
"We're gonna trim the tree when everyone gets here," Bura answered as she entered. She ran over and gave Marron a big hug. "Hi Marron! What did you buy me for Christmas?"  
  
The blond teen smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else."  
  
"Kakarotto you baka! It says to add a teaspoon of salt, not a tablespoon! What the hell do you think tsp stands for?!" Vegeta shouted from the kitchen.  
  
"Oops, gomen nasai 'geta." The six of them just stared at the kitchen door and, a few seconds later, Goku ran out of the room. "Wow, he's real protective of his mixing bowl."  
  
Kuririn just stared at him for a minute. "Are you saying that Vegeta's really in there? And he's cooking?!"  
  
Bura nodded. "Hai, Kuririn-san. Papa's the best."  
  
"I don't believe it." He shook his head. "That's the man who came to Chikyuu to kill us and steal the dragonballs."  
  
The little girl opened her mouth to respond when she saw the anger on Goku's face. Wisely getting far away from the short man as fast as possible, she watched the confrontation on the other side of the room.  
  
"You don't know him, Kuririn. Vegeta changed a long time ago."  
  
"Into what?" he asked with a laugh. The humor faded from his face when he realized that his best-friend was less than amused. "Okay, Goku, okay. He's changed. Since when are you his guardian?" The large Saiya-jin declined to answer.  
  
After a moment of awkward silence, Juuhachi-gou pulled Kuririn towards the family room and Vegeta called Goku from the kitchen. "Kakarotto, could you come in here for a moment?" His voice was unusually soft.  
  
Bura smiled and moved to stand guard by the door. No one would be interrupting her fathers' special moment, not if she could help it.  
  


***

  
By six, nearly everyone had arrived and there were at least two hundred presents piled in the family room. Bura was helping Trunks and Goten retrieve the decorations from storage while Vegeta and Goku arranged the baked goodies on serving trays.  
  
"Goku-ojiichan!" Pan called out as she ran across the room to wrap herself around Goku's legs. "What did ya get me?"  
  
Bura grinned at her. "A lot. You see that huge pile of presents over there by the window?"  
  
"That's all mine?!"  
  
"Tousan," Gohan immediately protested. "You're spoiling her."  
  
Goku placed the his tray on the coffee table where it was descended upon by a ravenous dark-haired demi-Saiya-jin. "She's my grandchild, son, and this might be my only chance to do this."  
  
"There's still Goten."  
  
The teen lifted his head at the sound of his name and made a "Huh?" noise around a mouthful of cookies. He swallowed and said, "There's still me what, niichan?"  
  
"You have yet to start a family. When are you going to find someone to settle down with, Goten? You aren't getting any younger." Gohan had, whether he was aware of it or not, taken over nagging for his departed mother. Goten hadn't liked it when she was alive and wondered what he had ever done to deserve it after her death.  
  
He glared at his older brother. "That's none of your business."  
  
"I'm only looking out for you!"  
  
"Well, I don't need you to do that anymore. I'm a grown man, Gohan, and I can make my own decisions!"  
  
Goku decided to interfere. "It's Christmas Eve! Can't we just have a nice two-day party?" Goten gave in first and returned to his seat next to Trunks with a nod. Gohan's frown grew even fiercer, but he nodded as well.  
  
Vegeta came into the room, folded his arms across his chest, and took charge. "Listen up, minna! Here's the plan for this evening. First, we will decorate that tree and put a huge amount of gifts underneath it, then we will decorate this house. Is this acceptable?"  
  
Bura raised her hand. "Can we listen to music while we decorate?"  
  
"Hai," he answered even as his right eye twitched. Holiday music was, in his opinion, the most annoying thing on Chikyuu next to ChiChi's voice. Or at least next to the people trying to sing along with it. He wished that he could make it a rule that only people who could carry a tune could open their mouth.  
  
As Goten put on a CD, Trunks started twining lights into the tree's branches. Bura went behind him and undid his work with a smile on her face. When he reached the top of the tree, he let the lights go and watched them fall to the floor. "What the...?" He heard high-pitched giggling and followed it to the source. "Bura!"  
  
"Gotcha!" she crowed. He lunged at her and she dodged, shrieking with laughter. While Trunks chased her through the house, Goten and Pan took over. Most of everyone else were sorting ornaments.  
  
"These look like antiques," Videl said as she carefully examined a box of glass ornaments. Vegeta snorted. He could remember clearly the day they'd been purchased.  
  
 _"Here, Vegeta," Buruma said as she handed him a box of Christmas adornments. "Bura broke most of the ones we had last year."  
  
The prince frowned. "I don't see the point of this."  
  
"This is the time of year to celebrate life, spread cheer, and spent time with your family. You could at least be a little more jolly for the kids' sake."_  
  
"745 zenni at Shop and Save," he smiled. He removed another string of lights from the box and shrugged at their guests' surprised looks. "Nani?"  
  
Goku grinned and joined him.  _"Arigatou for showing them your soft side."_  
  
 _"Your friends are trying my patience, Kakarotto. You owe me big."_  
  
 _"Just wait until later. I promise that you won't be disappointed."_  Vegeta's mouth transformed into a grin to rival his mate's.  
  
Yamucha scratched his head. "Did I miss something? Usually the only time you see a look like that on Vegeta's face is when he's about to kill someone."  
  
"And I know who I'll be starting with if you don't shut up, weakling."  
  
"Now  _that's_  the Vegeta we all know and love!" He grinned despite the threat he'd just received.  
  
After the lights and tinsel were on, everyone set upon the task of placing ornaments. Pan and Bura did the lowest branches, the three Son males did the highest, everyone else filled in the middle, and Piccolo stood in a corner and watched.  
  
"Come on over, Piccolo-san," Gohan coaxed. "You do this every single year."  
  
"I'm not a Christmas person, you know that."  
  
"Even  _Vegeta's_  helping!" he handed his wife the box he had in his hands and moved over to stand by his former sensei. "It's not just that, is it? You're staring at Vegeta-san pretty intensely, Piccolo-san."  
  
Piccolo relaxed his facial muscles and blinked. "You don't feel it? I thought I taught you better than that."  
  
Gohan concentrated and sensed something in Vegeta's ki he'd never felt before: contentment. "Who is he and what has he done with Vegeta-san?"  
  
"It  _is_  startling... until you turn your senses toward your father, that is." Piccolo watched his face closely and hid a smirk when the demi-Saiya-jin eyes widened.  
  
"What's going on here?! First Vegeta-san's cooking, now he's content!" Gohan gasped as he nearly felt the affection both Saiya-jin felt when their eyes locked for a brief second. "I'm dreaming. This is all a bad dream."  
  
The Namek-jin rolled his eyes at the young man's obvious aversion. "That's obviously only in the eye of the beholder. Vegeta and Goku appear to be very happy."  
  
"Who's ready for dinner?" Trunks asked from the entrance to the dining room. He quickly flattened himself against the wall when thirteen people rushed past him. The Saiya-jin because, well, they were Saiya-jin and the ningen because they at least wanted one serving of food. The lavender-haired young man laughed at them and took his seat next to Goten. "Papa cooked all day, you guys. I'm sure there will be enough for everyone." Many of the guests exchanged glances, but no one said anything until...  
  
Hannah, Yamucha's newest girlfriend, complemented the chef. She was a curvy beauty with red-gold hair and green eyes. "Vegeta-san, this is fantastic. Where did you study?"  
  
Vegeta all but glowed with pride. "In outer space. When there's no choice other than Nappa's cooking, you learn how pretty quickly. It's either that or die of starvation."  
  
"Couldn't Raditzu cook?" Goku asked after he'd finished chewing and swallowing. He'd learned over the years that it was better to remember to do the right thing the first time and avoid ChiChi's wrath.  
  
"Your brother? Cook? Ha!" The ouji shook his head with an amused expression on his face. "I was lucky if he knew how to work the shower! Raditzu wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer by a long shot." He pushed his plate away. "Who's ready for dessert?"  
  
"ME!" all the Saiya-jin except Gohan shouted at the top of their lungs.  
  
Vegeta nodded to Trunks. "Bring it in, boy."  
  
"Aw, why do  _I_  have to do it?" he complained.  
  
"You're the closest to the doorway and, if that's not a good enough reason, because I SAID SO!"  
  
Trunks jumped to his feet and all nearly ran from the room. He returned a few moments later with a very large tray covered with sugar-filled treats. There was a cake, the remainder of the cookies, a few pies, and the batch of brownies that Goku had almost ruined. Vegeta placed the chocolate confection in front of his mate.  
  
"I've tasted these. They're all yours, Kakarotto."  
  
"Really? Domo arigatou, 'geta!" Goku dug in and Vegeta snickered.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't be thanking me just yet." Everyone started laughing when the younger man's face scrunched up. "I tried to take some of the salt out and couldn't get it all. It's like they've taken a dip in the ocean."  
  
Goku nodded. "Oh yeah, they're pretty bad all right."  
  
"Never thought I'd live to see the day when Goku refused to eat something," Kuririn laughed.  
  
During the clean up portion of the meal, the doorbell rang. Bura was the first out of her chair and ran into the entry hall. "Meri Kurisumasu, minna-san! Santa Roshi's in the house and I've brought presents!"  
  
"Just put them by the tree, Kamesennin," Bura called as she and Pan went up to her room. Roshi went into the family room and made a startled noise.  
  
"You're the ones who robbed the toy factory!"  
  
Goten chuckled. "Looks like it, doesn't it? Would you believe that a large portion of those gifts belong to Pan and Bura?"  
  
"Oh, I believe it. They're the two most spoiled little girls in the entire world."  
  
"Can I speak to you for a minute, Tousan?" Gohan asked once the table was cleared. "In private," he added when the older man didn't move.  
  
He didn't like the emotion he sensed from his son, but consented anyway. ' _Goten was right about his niichan. This isn't going to be pleasant._ ' They went outside near the place where Vegeta's gravity chamber used to be. After the last time he destroyed it, Buruma refused to repair it. She used the remains on other projects instead. "I know what this is about."  
  
Gohan's eyebrows rose. "Oh, really?"  
  
"Hai. Somehow you sensed the change in Vegeta and searched for the reason why. I am that reason."  
  
"I wouldn't have noticed if Piccolo-san hadn't told me about it." He seemed a little upset by this, but that was one of the consequences lapsed training caused. "Why Vegeta, Tousan? If you had to find another so soon, why couldn't it have been someone who didn't have homicidal urges towards us?"  
  
Goku sighed. "I've questioned myself more than once about it. Why Vegeta? Why a man? Why someone who claimed to hate me for so long? There is an answer, but I don't know if you'll understand."  
  
"Try me."  
  
He looked upward towards the heavens as if silently praying for the strength to handle the talk. He received an answer in the form of reassurance from Vegeta through their connection. "Ever since the day I met him it was as if I had been pulled towards him by an invisible rope. No matter what he did to me, my family, or my friends, I still felt the pull.  
  
"When we fused for the very first time, it developed into something greater. I came to understand his seemingly overbearing pride and dark ambition. That must have been when the bond began to develop."  
  
Gohan blinked in confusion. "Bond?"  
  
He nodded. "Hai. If Goten hadn't mentioned what Trunks told him several years ago, I would have never known it existed. The bond is something that forms between two members of the Saiya-jin race and is cemented by the bonding ritual. You form a psychic link with your partner and mark them as your own."  
  
"Did you do the ritual yet? I want to make a formal protest." Gohan turned away from his father when he nodded. "I can't believe this! And Goten not only knows, but he accepts this as well?"  
  
"Hai, he does. Look son, I don't expect you to support us, but the least you can do is accept our relationship. I'm going to stay by Vegeta's side no matter what so things would be better if you did." Goku placed his hand onto his shoulder. "No matter what you decide, I'll still love you." He went back inside the house to allow his son the time to think.  
  
While he was engaged in tense conversation with Gohan, more people had arrived. Satan-san, Buu, Yajirobi, Oolong, Tenshinhan, Lunch, and Chaozu added their gifts to the mountain and went into the kitchen for something to eat.  
  
"I apologize for the lateness, but I had several appearances throughout the city. Christmas Eve is a very popular day for the savior of the world." Satan-san puffed out his chest and attempted to look regal. He failed miserably.  
  
Vegeta muttered to himself about just how regal the man was and Goku elbowed him. "We're taking ideas on what to do."  
  
"Play games?" Yamucha suggested. "The kids could do one thing and the adults something else."  
  
"There are  _only_  two children, baka," the ouji informed him. "Bura and Pan. Personally, I think people should split up based on what they want to do. If you want to play cards go off with Trunks and Goten, if you want to play Monopoly find Bura, if you have no clue then Kakarotto's your man."  
  
Goku frowned at him in mock annoyance. "Was that an insult?"  
  
Everyone laughed and Vegeta answered, "Only just."  
  
They all split into different groups: Trunks, Goten, Marron, and Videl in one; Bura, Pan, Oolong, Puar, Chaozu, Yajirobi, Satan-san, and Buu in another; and Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Kuririn, Juuhachi-gou, Tenshinhan, Lunch, Yamucha, and Hannah in a third. Goku brought Trunks and Bura's game collection into the living room and they all decided on something called Discoveries.  
  
"I don't really like the sound of that," Kuririn said. "How do you play?"  
  
Goku opened the game board and placed it on the coffee table. "Someone picks a card and you move your token forward a space if you get the answer right. First one to cross the finish line wins. We should probably play teams since there are so many people. Piccolo, can you team up with Gohan?"  
  
The Namek-jin gaped at him. "You want me to play this?!"  
  
"If you don't then I can't play," Gohan smiled up at him. "Onegai, Piccolo-san."  
  
"Oh, alright," he grumbled as he sat down cross-legged next to the young man. "But I do so under protest."  
  
"Great! Who wants to go first?" Goku looked around at the group and most of the players all shook their heads.  
  
Yamucha grinned. "I will." He shuffled the cards and drew one. "What's my favorite color?" The team members consulted with each other for a moment. Team Goku was the first to respond.  
  
"Yellow."  
  
"Blue," was Team Gohan's response.  
  
"Red!"  
  
"Purple," Hannah said. "Nani?" she shrugged at his raised eyebrow. "I've only been dating you for a few days."  
  
"None of you are right; it's green." He replaced the card in the bottom of the stack. "Do I draw again?"  
  
Goku's forehead wrinkled in thought. "What's your second favorite color?"  
  
"Blue."  
  
"Then someone from Team Gohan goes next."  
  
Piccolo suddenly found everyone staring at him. "I'm supposed to draw a card, eh?" He did so and snorted. "My favorite thing to eat."  
  
"Water," everyone said in unison except for Hannah. She said "pizza".  
  
"Wait, wait," she said. "How can the answer be water?"  
  
"That's the only thing we need for sustenance."  
  
Hannah didn't really believe him, but she nodded anyway. "Oh..."  
  
"I'm thinking of a number from one to ten. Guess it and the turn is yours." It was the only thing Piccolo could think of to end his turn.  
  
 _"We should cheat, Kakarotto. You could read his mind and find out what he's thinking."_  
  
Goku shook his head.  _"That's dishonest."_  
  
 _"And? I would do it, if I could."_  
  
 _"You just hate to lose."_  
  
 _"Damn straight."_  
  
So Goku did, in fact, read Piccolo's mind. He was really upset about doing so, but Vegeta sulked when he didn't get his way. "Six."  
  
"Ten."  
  
"Three."  
  
"Seven."  
  
"Goku's exactly right," Piccolo told them.  
  
When the large Saiya-jin read the top card, his face lost all of its color. ' _Someone up there has it in for me._ '  
  
 _"What does it say?"_  
  
 _"What's the biggest secret you've ever hidden from your friends."_  
  
A wave of sympathy came through the connection.  _"Oh... Remember, Kakarotto, I'm here for you if you decide to tell them."_  
  
 _"I think I'm going to. Perfect opening for it, anyway."_  
  
"What does it say, Goku?" Kuririn asked. He told them and Gohan winced slightly. "Okay, then. I say that you don't have any secrets. We know everything about you."  
  
Yamucha nodded. "That's our answer, too."  
  
"It's not for me to tell," Gohan said. "I respect his privacy."  
  
Vegeta shrugged. "He's not keeping any secrets from me, so I have no idea."  
  
"I, um, have a secret. It's the biggest thing I've ever hidden from anyone." Goku stood up and went to the doorway. "Wait a minute, okay? It's better if everyone hears together."  
  
"Sounds serious," Yamcha commented. Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan all looked away at the same time. "You three know!"  
  
Gohan glared at the Saiya-jin no Ouji. "Piccolo and I may know, but a certain someone is a part of it!"  
  
Vegeta gave him an equally venomous look. "If you open your big mouth and tell everyone, I'm going to hurt you!"  
  
"I knew that you weren't going to take it very well," Goten said sadly as he kneeled next to his second father. "Why can't you be happy, niichan?"  
  
"Nothing about this makes sense! I personally think that he's done something horrible to Tousan."  
  
Kuririn exchanged bewildered looks with majority of the people crowded into the room. "I wish someone would explain what's going on."  
  
Goku nodded. "You're all my friends -- well, at least most of you are -- and you deserve to know. Many, many years ago, when Gohan was still a little boy, a Saiya-jin warrior came to Chikyuu..."  
  
An hour later....  
  
"I showed up just in the nick of time to save Gohan from being crushed by Nappa...."  
  
Vegeta yawned, more than a little bored with the retelling of history. "Kakarotto and I are in love and we bonded last week."  
  
His announcement caused the few that were still awake to go, "NANI?!" Their outburst was what caused everyone else to regain consciousness.  
  
"I was going to get to it eventually, 'geta," Goku whined.  
  
"Hai, but you were taking forever. No one wants to sit here and listen to the entire story. I know that I don't."  
  
Pan squealed with delight and threw herself into a startled Vegeta's arms. "I have three ojiichans now!"  
  
Yamucha was stunned. "May I be blunt, Goku?"  
  
"I guess so," he said warily.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! That guy's the enemy! No matter how long he stays here, he's still gonna be nothing more than pure evil! I agree with Gohan, that little ape's done something to you."  
  
Shaking his head at the older man's obvious anger, Kuririn sided with his best-friend. "I may not understand this, but if he makes you happy then you have my blessing."  
  
Goku smiled. "I'm very happy. Arigatou, Kuririn."  
  
"How can you accept this?" the former desert bandit asked.  
  
"The answer is very simple," Tenshinhan said. "Goku wanted us to know, correct? It took a lot of courage to even begin to explain knowing that some of us wouldn't like it. Why condemn him for this? I can't. He'll always be my friend no matter who he falls in love with."  
  
Vegeta glowered at each and every opposer in the group over the top of Pan's head. "If you say anything else to hurt his feelings, you'll have to answer to me. Trust me, you don't want that. Now, can we get back to the damn party?"  
  
Groups one and two filed out of the room, many of the guests pausing to congratulate the happy couple. The sullen members of group three kept their nasty comments to themselves and peace reigned for the remainder of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

On Christmas Eve, Trunks and Goten went through with the bonding ritual. They'd decided that Goten had been the one pursuing Trunks (by his dedication to spending every single lunch hour with him) so he earned the right to leave a mark first. On exactly midnight on Christmas morning, he marked the older demi-Saiya-jin in the midst of his climax and woke up everyone in Capsule Corp. who could sense ki.  
  
Pan sat up straight in Bura's bed and looked towards the window. "What was that?"  
  
"Nothing, Pan-chan. Go back to sleep." Bura smiled sleepily and silently congratulated her niichans. She was just on the verge of slumber, when Gohan's impassioned cry brought her back to full wakefulness.  
  
"NOOOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Bura glared in the direction it came from. "Jeez, Gohan-san. People are trying to get some sleep around here."  
  
"He doesn't sound happy."  
  
"He'll get over it."  
  
A few minutes later "not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse".  
  


***

  
At five in the morning, two very excited little girls ran as fast as they could downstairs to open their presents. "I bet I got more than you did," Pan said as she sorted through the gifts.  
  
"I bet you're wrong."  
  
Soon wrapping paper was flying all over the room and gifts were being separated into piles: the good stuff and the bad stuff. Both girls had a lot more in the good pile than in the bad one.  
  
"An Easy Bake Oven," Pan said dully.  
  
Bra smiled. "I'm guessing that you didn't want one."  
  
"Mama and Papa gave it to me. I guess they're trying to make me more of a girl." She tossed it aside and started on a box from Goku and Vegeta. "Ooh! Roller blades! Goku-ojiichan and Vegeta-ojiichan are the best!"  
  
An hour later, Goten bounded downstairs with all the glee of a small child. "Meri Kurisumasu, chibis!" He looked around the room, unsure of where to start. "Damn, there's a lot of stuff in here."  
  
Pan smiled sweetly at him. "Don't curse in front of me, Goten-ojichan. Papa gets upset."  
  
"Yeah, we don't need him any angrier than he is already."  
  
"You heard him, then," Bura sighed.  
  
Her niichan nodded. "Who didn't? I'm sure he woke people three towns over."  
  
The youngest Son cocked her head to the side. "What are you guys talking about? I know that Papa sounded mad this morning, but about what?"  
  
"Trunks and Goten bonded this morning like your ojiichans did."  
  
"Oh. Well,  _I_  could have told you he wasn't gonna like it. One time, when he took me to the mall, this guy hit on him."  
  
Bura and Goten stared at her. "Honto?!" they asked in unison.  
  
"Yup. I think it freaked him out." Her fingers paused in untying a bow. "But for a second, he looked a little happy."  
  
"Hmm..." Goten said as he continued searching for his gifts. "That's very interesting."  
  
"My bike! They bought my bike!" Bura wrapped her arms around it in glee. The gift had been placed in the very back behind most of everything. "You wanna go outside and ride around the neighborhood, Pan-chan?"  
  
Pan nodded. "Right after I open the rest of my presents, get dressed, and eat breakfast, okay?"  
  
Her father entered the room on the tail end of the conversation. "You're going to do what right after that?"  
  
"Roller blade with Bura," she answered as she tore into another gift. "My ojiichans bought me a pair for Christmas."  
  
"I can't believe they did that! You're only six years old!" Gohan was already pretty upset with his father and that only served to make it worse. "Give them to me, Pan."  
  
The little girl shook her head and hugged the box to her chest. "Iie! I won't let you take them away!" She ran behind Goten and used him as a shield.  
  
"Niichan," Goten said, "are you taking them away because you really think she's too young, or because Tousan and Papa bought them?"  
  
"You call him 'Papa'?!"  
  
"That's irrelevant!"  
  
His brother turned away. "I don't answer to you."  
  
Goten approached him with Pan close behind. "Let me remind you that this is the same little girl who defended her friends from the sixth-grade bullies, beat up numerous adults in the Tenkaichi Boudoukai, and refused to cry even when she broke her leg after falling out of a tree. Pan can handle a little pair of roller blades, Niichan. Hell, this child could probably handle falling off a cliff!  
  
"If it's because of who bought them-" He stopped a few inches away from Gohan, so close that their noses nearly touched. "-then allow me to remind you that they did it because they care for her. Did you even bother to find out what she likes? Do you spend any time with her at all?"  
  
"Pan knows that I'm very busy..."  
  
He shook his head. "No matter how busy you are, you should always make time for your children. Will you please let her have fun? I know that you really don't want to become Kaasan's clone."  
  
Deciding to end the argument, Trunks spoke up. "Neither one of them can ride anything outside because there's about eight inches of snow on the ground and more is on the way."  
  
Bura gasped and ran to the window. "Wow! I've never seen this much snow before!" Pan joined her and, a soon as the two girls were out of earshot, Trunks had a few words with Gohan.  
  
"Please, can you keep your comments to yourself? I don't want to have to go visit you in the hospital because Papa beat you half to death."  
  
"Tousan would never allow him to do that to me."  
  
Trunks smirked at him. "You would think that, wouldn't you?"  
  
Goten tried to change the subject. "It was pretty cold this morning when Trunks and I were out there. We actually had to go Super Saiya-jin to keep warm." Unfortunately, it was the wrong topic to change to.  
  
"So I felt," Gohan growled. His brother blinked at him in puzzlement.  
  
"We all felt your, um, excitement," Videl informed the couple. She had been silently observing the exchange until that point. "Gohan sort of freaked out. He has issues with everything."  
  
"And until he decides to discuss things like an adult, we won't ever solve this problem." Goten turned away and went back to opening presents. "I'm through trying to talk to him." Gohan left the room in a huff and Videl followed, intent on trying to get him to calm down.  
  
The doorbell rang and Trunks went to answer it. "Um, may I help you?"  
  
"Konnichi-wa, Trunks," the man smiled at him. "You know my sister. She left an message on her voice mail saying that she'd be over here."  
  
He stared hard into the stranger's blue eyes and could see the resemblance between him and... "Is your sister Juuhachi-gou?"  
  
"Hai," Juunana-gou answered. "Though I've never met you before, I knew your mirai counterpart."  
  
"Well, come on in. As soon as Papa gets up, he'll be making breakfast.  
  
The artificial ningen froze. "You know, I could have sworn you said that Vegeta would be cooking."  
  
Trunks laughed. "I get that reaction from everyone."  
  


***

  
After the morning meal, majority of the guests ended up playing outside in the snow. No one knew who suggested it, but it was fun nonetheless. Bura and Pan spent an hour teaching Vegeta how to make a snowman and soon there were a crowd of them in the back yard.  
  
"Hey, that's not your snow!" Marron protested as Trunks took some of the white powder from her area. "I was just about to make a hat!"  
  
"I ran out, okay? Goten stole a lot from me." The next thing he knew, she was throwing a snowball at him. He ducked and it hit Kuririn in the back of the head.  
  
The short man mock glared at the two of them. "Leave me out of your little fight!"  
  
"Gomen nasai, Tousan," Marron said sheepishly. She didn't see the snowball coming.  
  
Trunks burst into laughter as she wiped the cold slush from her face. "Bull's eye!"  
  
She packed another mound of snow between her gloved hands. "Oh, you're asking for it." The teen started to stalk him, carefully avoiding the various snow people around the yard. Letting her snowball fly, she cheered when it collided with his chest. "All right!"  
  
"I let you do that," he told her.  
  
"Yeah, right." She squealed when she felt a sudden frigid wetness down the back of her shirt. "Ack!"  
  
Goten grinned. "Mission accomplished."  
  
"When two people have a mental link, you are never safe." Trunks high-fived his mate and they both did a little victory dance.  
  
"A what?" she asked.  
  
He placed a finger to his forehead and then to the younger demi-Saiya-jin's. "It's a bond-related perk."  
  
Goku smiled at them and went back to trying to fix his snowman. "Does anyone know how I can keep his arm from falling off?"  
  
"Kakarotto, I doubt snow can be extended like that unless you turn it to ice."  
  
"But I wanted our snowmen to hold hands," he pouted.  
  
Vegeta felt himself melting into a puddle of goo. Before he could stop himself, he pulled Goku down to his level and kissed him gently.  
  
 _"Whoo! I got a public display of affection out of you!"_  
  
 _"You make me into a pile of mush, do you know that?"_  
  
 _"Hai, but you're_  my  _pile of mush."_  
  
Marron watched them, hoping one day she'd find someone to love her as much as they loved each other.  
  
By the time lunch came, Vegeta was wondered if their guests were ever going to leave. He was pretty certain that Gohan would have taken off a long time ago if his wife hadn't talked to him. It was a good thing that he didn't, though, because his new father wanted to have a word with him.  
  
"Let's take a walk," he told the oldest demi-Saiya-jin. Gohan eyed him for a moment before following. "I may not have the perception that your father does, but this is out of his league. He has no experience when it comes to dealing with hostility."  
  
Gohan opened his mouth and the ouji glared at him until he closed it. "Kakarotto's upset because his own son isn't happy for him. Are you aware of how much your words hurt him? I know exactly how much because I felt all of the anguish they caused."  
  
"Say one word and I'm going to hit you." Vegeta said when the young man started to speak again. He stopped and looked him straight in the eyes. "Look, your problem is simple. One: you think that he's betraying your mother by falling in love with someone else. Two: you're insecure in your sexuality so you're homophobic. Three: you don't like me very much and think that Kakarotto shouldn't waste his time. I'm still debating which reason gives you the most grief."  
  
The young man sighed. "I'm going to talk about this with you, Vegeta-san, because I respect you. Both of you are men, correct? What can you receive from an intimate relationship between the two of you?"  
  
"The very same thing you receive from your relationship... minus the kid, of course. You've got to keep one thing in mind, Gohan. We are Saiya-jin and things were done differently on Vegeta-sei."  
  
"You're on Chikyuu, now."  
  
"Hai, but the death of our planet wasn't the death of our traditions. The bond was highly respected for very good reason. It brings two people together to form greatness. Similar to fusion, but completely different."  
  
It was something he'd heard before. "Tousan told me all about it."  
  
"You aren't bonded to Videl. Is this why you don't understand?"  
  
"I am not jealous!"  
  
Vegeta smiled slightly. "I never said that you were."  
  
Gohan sighed again. "I love my wife, alright? I just wish something as powerful as the bond could exist between us as well."  
  
"You should be content with what you have. Not many people can find true love." His smile grew wider. "I can teach the ritual to you, if you really wish it. Maybe it will form."  
  
"Really?" he asked, completely shocked that the Saiya-jin no Ouji would offer to do something like that for him. "Even after I said all those things about you? Why?"  
  
"You are the son of my mate... and because I care too much to see you miserable." Gohan stared at him in amazement, wondering if the bond had anything to do with Vegeta's newfound kindness.  
  
"Arigatou, Vegeta... tousan," he said grudgingly. And the two of them returned to the party.


	10. Chapter 10

The holiday season had come and gone, now it was time to pack up the decorations until next time. Bura had mixed feelings about the new year. Oh, she knew that it was a time for new beginnings and fresh starts, but something deep inside of her was twitching anxiously.  
  
"Do you think anyone evil will show up anytime soon?" she asked Trunks as they put away the ornaments. "I've got this bad feeling in my stomach..." Bura looked up at him with worried eyes.  
  
"Listen, Bura-chan, we can handle whatever comes. You're surrounded by many people who will do all they can to protect you."  
  
Nodding, she hugged him. "I know, niichan, but the feeling just won't go away."  
  
Trunks tickled her. "Maybe your stomach's upset because you have to go back to school soon." She giggled and squirmed in his arms. "Are you trying to fake being sick?"  
  
"Niichan! Stop it!"  
  
"Need help, Bura?" Goten asked. Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his mate and held him down. "Go ahead, get your revenge."  
  
She did so with relish until the lavender-haired demi-Saiya-jin's face turned red from laughing so hard. Bura left him gasping for breath on the floor as she finished packing up the box. "Only 358 days until Christmas," she said with a sigh.  
  
"Already counting?" Goten asked.  
  
"Of course I am! I love Christmas. We should start planning for next year since the party will probably be here again." Her face lit up with an idea. "We could have a Halloween Party, too. It'll be great!" Mentally, she did a quick calculation. "Only 302 days until October thirty-first! Hey, is next year a leap year?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
"I hope not because then it'll be 359 days 'til Christmas and 303 days 'til Halloween. That's one day too long!"  
  
Trunks chuckled. "Bura, you're something else."  
  
They were completely finished in a few more hours and Bura was utterly bored by then. "Anyone want to play a game with me?"  
  
"We can play Life. It's fun and time consuming." He raised his voice. "Tousan, Papa, you guys want to play a board game with us?"  
  
"Sure!" Goku shouted back. "We haven't got anything better to do!"  
  
"Speak for yourself, Kakarotto! There are millions of better things  _I_  could be doing with my time."  
  
Bura pouted. "Onegai, Papa. It'll be fantastic, you'll see."  
  
There was a pause, then the ouji said, "Oh, alright, just get that look off your face before I come down there!"  
  
"What look?" she asked innocently, but stopped pouting nonetheless.  
  
The board was set up on the kitchen table. Bura had the blue car, Trunks had the white one, Goten had orange, Goku had red, and Vegeta was stuck with yellow or green.  
  
"Someone trade me," he said as he eyed the remaining two choices. "I don't like either of these colors." The other players all clutched their tokens tightly in their fists. Not even Goku would trade with him. Vegeta growled and snatched up the green car. "Fine then, I'll use this ugly thing to win the game!"  
  
Trunks smirked at him. "You want to bet on that? 500 zenni says you lose."  
  
His father grabbed his hand hard enough to break something and shook briefly. "It's a bet."  
  
"Okay, put a colored person peg into your car and then we spin to see who goes first." Bura told him as she spun. "I got six."  
  
"Eight!" Goten cheered.  
  
Trunks frowned. "Five."  
  
"Nine!"  
  
The ouji fully expected to get the highest number and gaped in shock when it landed on... "ONE?!" Everyone started laughing and he frowned. "I demand a do-over!"  
  
"No do-overs!" came the simultaneous response.  
  
Goku chose to go to college and everyone went that route... except for Vegeta. "I can't wait until after four years of college to get paid!"  
  
"Are you absolutely sure you want to go straight into a career?" Goku asked him. "I mean, think about what you'd gain by going to college."  
  
"The faster I'm out in the world, the faster I can get rich and win the bet."  
  
"Okay, Vegeta. Just don't say I didn't warn you."  
  
Goku got a ten on his first turn and landed on "Graduation Day". He drew a Life tile. "Your turn, Goten."  
  
"Six!" He landed on "Study in Europe".  
  
Bura landed on "Job Search". "Papa, when you go to college you get draw three career and salary cards to pick from. More options." She picked superstar and 7,420,379 zenni ($60,000 & £38,123). When she spun again, she landed on "Pay Day".  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Vegeta grumbled.  
  
Trunks landed on "Buy books and supplies." and ended up paying the Bra (the banker) 618,364 zenni ($5,000 & £3,177). Then it was finally Vegeta's turn.  
  
The ouji drew and received artist for a career and 12,367,298 zenni for a salary ($100,000 & £63,553). He spun again and promptly landed on "Pay Day". "In your face!" he told his son as he collected his money.  
  
"Just wait, I'm still probably gonna win. I haven't gotten a salary yet, you know."  
  
"Keep dreaming, boy."  
  
"Since papa has the best salary card, you might not. Then again, he pays the most taxes. If you pick accountant and he lands on "Taxes Due", it all goes to you."  
  
He grinned. "Sugoi."  
  
Goku landed on "Job Search". "I drew accountant, Trunks."  
  
"Oh, please don't choose that one, Tousan!" the demi-Saiya-jin begged. "Salesperson and teacher are really good careers, too."  
  
"Well..." Goku's hand hovered over accountant for a moment just to tease the young man. He eventually chose teacher and chose a salary of 11,130,568 zenni ($90,000 & £57,198) to go along with it. When he spun again, he landed on "Adopt a pet."  
  
"There went the second highest salary," Bura commented.  
  
Trunks let out a frustrated explosion of breath as Goten spun. "ARGH!" His mate smiled when he was told to draw a Life tile.  
  
She smiled as well, but it faded when she landed on her space. "SKI ACCIDENT?! I don't even know how to ski!" But the little girl still deposited the money into the bank.  
  
Her niichan said a quick prayer before he spun. "WRITE TERM PAPER, LOSE NEXT TURN?!"  
  
"That's what you get when you go to college first," Vegeta told him.  
  
"I hate this game!" he shouted.  
  
Goten rubbed Trunks' knee. "Aw, cheer up, koishii. I bet you get accountant on your next turn." Vegeta spun, received eight, and landed on "Pay Day" for a second time. Trunks' face turned red in anger and he opened his mouth to scream. His mate quickly covered it so that the profanity was muffled. "If he doesn't get something good soon, I think he's gonna explode."  
  
Goku won 1,236,729 ($10,000 & £6,355); Goten bought a stock (Vegeta said, "I didn't know we could do that." He responded, "You didn't ask!"), chose doctor for a career, and salary of 8,657,109 zenni ($70,000 & £44,487) ; Bura had to get married and take a Life tile; Trunks lost his turn a turn ago; and Vegeta also arrived at "Get Married".  
  
On Trunks' next turn, when he was finally able to choose a career, he drew everything but accountant. He didn't lose it completely until he drew for his salary. "I have to choose from the three lowest salary cards in the entire pile! That's it, I QUIT!" He stomped upstairs and the next thing they heard was the slamming of his bedroom door.  
  
"Wow, it's only a game," Goten said as Vegeta took his turn. "Hope he's cooled down by the time we leave for the party."  
  
By the time ten o'clock rolled around, they were still playing. Goten was yawning every five minutes, Goku was leaning on Vegeta's shoulder and pushing his car with his fingertip, and Bura had fallen asleep on the floor. "This game takes way too long," Goten said as if the other players didn't know. He glanced at his watch and his eyes flew open fully. "If I don't get dressed now, we'll be really late!"  
  
"This is the most boring game in history," Vegeta uttered as he put everything away. "I officially declare Kakarotto the winner."  
  
The large Saiya-jin grinned and grabbed his mate in a bone-crushing embrace. "Aw, that's so sweet!"  
  
"Kakarotto! AIR!"  
  
"Oops!"  
  
Shaking his head at their antics, Goten went upstairs to change.  
  


***

  
"The party's at a frat house." Trunks said dully as he stared at the building. "You brought me to a frat party."  
  
Goten was confused. "What's so bad about it? My friend Tsubasa's a member. We have World Literature together."  
  
The older young man shook his head. "You obviously have no idea what goes on inside one of these places. There's gonna be a lot of drunk, loose college chicks."  
  
"So?"  
  
"We're gay, you baka!" he practically shouted. He blushed when we realized that several people heard him. One male student actually gave him a thumbs up.  
  
He shrugged. "Your point? We can just go in and socialize for half-an-hour... I promised him that I would stop by."  
  
Trunks felt weary at mere the thought of fighting off droves of giggling females. He saw red when he imagined Goten doing the same. "But you're a hottie!"  
  
His mate blushed. "Why, thank you!"  
  
"It's not a compliment this time, Chibi. Those girls are going to follow you like lawyers chase ambulances. I don't want to have to end up telling several of them off."  
  
Goten smiled as he pictured a very anime-like catfight over him. "Don't worry about it. I'll be glued to your side tighter than spandex on a fat woman." They both shuddered involuntarily at the imagery. "Gomen, bad choice of words."  
  
Outside, the frat house was a picture of serenity and peace. Inside, the noise nearly broke the sound barrier. There were half-naked women being playfully chased by frat boys and cups of beer being passed from where a group of guys were clustered around a keg. "That's it, everybody! There's no more beer!" There was a collective groan of disappointment throughout the room. Then the student continued: "Until Brad returns from the store, that is!" Their cheers shook the rafters.  
  
"Thirty minutes," Trunks told Goten.  
  
"Okay! Come on, let's go find Tsubasa."  
  
Wading through the crowds of people, Goten searched for the familiar blue-dyed spiked hair of his friend. Trunks had to all but hold on to his shirt to keep him in sight. "Some party," he commented during the search. Then he stepped in something gooey and looked down in disgust. When he looked up again, Goten was gone. "Oh no."  
  
"Hi," a female voice said from his right. He looked over into the heavily outlined blue eyes of a girl around his age.  
  
Trunks gulped. "Um, hi."  
  
"You're really cute. You want to hang out sometime?"  
  
"I'm sort of looking for someone at the moment," he said as his eyes frantically darted around the room. "Can I take a rain check?"  
  
The girl smiled in a manner that was supposed to be sultry. "I'm sure your girlfriend can't please you like I could."  
  
He burst into laughter and quickly covered his mouth. "Oh, really?"  
  
She stepped closer and placed her hands on his face. "Allow me to prove it to you." Just as she moved her mouth closer to his, Trunks ducked and took off in the opposite direction. That caused the girl to fall flat on her face.  
  
"Gomen nasai!" he called back as she picked herself up from the floor and glared at him. He rounded a corner and had a head-on collision with someone else. "Are you alright?" Trunks asked as he helped the girl up from the ugly beige carpet. She had dark hair and brown eyes.  
  
"Hai," she nodded. "No harm done. Were you running from someone?"  
  
He blushed. "There was this girl and she tried to kiss me..."  
  
She laughed. "Oh, she was one of  _those_  girls. My name's Arissa, what's yours?"  
  
"Trunks."  
  
Recognition dawned in her eyes. "Hey, are you Trunks Briefs, the single president of Capsule Corporation?"  
  
"Shh!" He gave her a look before making sure no one had overheard. "Don't say that too loud!" Arissa was beyond hearing him, however. All she could see was the lavish wealth she would have if she married him.  
  
Smiling sweetly, she firmly attached herself to his arm. "I have a list of one-hundred reasons why I'm the girl you should marry."  
  
Trunks tried to shake her lose, but she held on more tightly than Roshi to his porn collection. Searching his mind for ideas, he smirked when he found a good one. "Arissa, that girl over there has on the same exact dress as you do!"  
  
"NANI?!" she shrieked as she turned to look. "I'll kill her!" When she turned back to Trunks, he was gone.  
  


***

  
The house was completely silent with Bura asleep and the boys out. Vegeta and Goku sat curled up on the couch in the living room, both staring deeply into the dancing flames in the fireplace.  
  
"You know, this past month has been amazing," Goku said suddenly. "No other time in my life can compare to it."  
  
Vegeta smiled. "Not even fusion?"  
  
"Okay, so maybe that comes close, but only because we became one being." He smiled to himself. "Yeah, that was amazing, too." Goku shifted closer to his mate. "When was the first time you had feelings other than hatred for me?"  
  
It was a very easy question to answer. "The time you spared my life the first time I came to Chikyuu is something I'll always remember. You're the only one I can think of who would do something like that."  
  
The larger Saiya-jin placed his hand over his mate's heart. "I felt it deep inside that you weren't completely evil. Somehow I knew you could reform." He felt silent and simply basked in the warmth of the bond for a while. Then, he asked, "What are your New Year's resolutions?"  
  
"I'm going to try not to be so gruff," he told him ruefully. "Do you know how afraid your midget friend is of me?"  
  
"My midget friend?!" Goku asked with a laugh. "Do you even know his name?"  
  
The ouji thought for a moment. "It's Kuririn, right? See, I know it!"  
  
After a few moments of uncontrollable laughter, he wiped the tears from his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "Don't ever try to change yourself for anyone, 'geta. I like you just the way you are."  
  
"Kakarotto? What is your resolution?"  
  
There were many things he wanted to happen in the new year, but he only had control over a few of them. "I want to try and fix the relationship between Gohan and I. It's my number one resolution." The tension between the two of them weighed heavy on his heart. He and Gohan used to be close, never before had things been so messed up.  
  
"We've both spoken with him and nothing seems to have changed. Granted, he looked a little happier when I taught him the bonding ritual, but I have a feeling that it will backfire."  
  
Goku sighed. "Is it because he doesn't have enough Saiya-jin blood?"  
  
"Maybe. It could be that ningen just can't bond with us. No matter the reason, he's still going to be pissed at me. That anger might even turn to hatred."  
  
"For tonight, let's forget that the rest of the world exists. It's just you and me." Glancing upward at the wall clock, the younger Saiya-jin smiled when he noticed the time. "May our next year together be filled with good times... and enough strength to handle the bad."  
  
As the bell chimed with the approach of midnight, Vegeta whispered something heartfelt (and foreign) to his mate before they kissed. The guttural words struck a chord deep within Goku's soul.  
  
"What does that mean?" he asked softly.  
  
"Two hearts forever united as one."  
  
They kissed again, both sending up silent prayers to the heavens for a long-lasting relationship.  
  


***

  
"I cannot believe this!" Trunks grumbled as he tried to get comfortable in the small space. "He brings me to a frat party and two girls try to make me their baby's daddy! I don't want to ruin his evening, by my legs are starting to fall asleep."  
  
 _"Where are you, koishii?"_  Goten asked a little worriedly.  _"I haven't seen you in forever!"_  
  
 _"That's because I'm cowering in a closet, Chibi. It's the only place I found to hide from those girls."_  
  
 _"I'm so sorry,"_  came the sympathetic response.  _"We we get home, I'll make it up to you."_  
  
He immediately perked up at the words.  _"How?"_  
  
 _"I'm pretty sure there's some of that massage oil left..."_  
  
The door cracked open and a sliver of light shown through. Goten wedged himself in beside Trunks and closed the door behind him. "Jeez, this place is tiny. We have to practically be on top of each other."  
  
Lavender eyebrows wiggled even though it was too dark for his mate to see them. "That's not a bad thing, you know. Intimate."  
  
"It's a damn closet. Intimate is the only way it knows how to be.[1]" They both suddenly heard the party guests counting down outside. "Just a few more seconds until the new year, Trunks. What's your resolution?"  
  
"I want to..." His words were cut off by soft lips descending upon his.  _"...make up for lost time. Think of all the years we didn't spend together as a couple."_  
  
 _"Mine's not as sweet as yours."_  
  
 _"Let me be the judge of that."_  
  
Goten moved away for air and felt a goofy smile spread across his face.  _"I'm definitely gonna try to get more of these kisses!"  
  
"You nut," Trunks said affectionately. "Hmm, I wonder what Tousan and Papa are doing for the start of the new year?" Almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth, they felt two giant ki spikes.  
  
Grinning, the dark-haired young man said, "Does that answer your question?"  
  
"Hai, sure does!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] = people were confused about this before. "Intimate is the only way it knows how to be." I meant that, since it's small, you would have to be practically on top of each other if more than one person was in there. It's intimate because it's so close.


End file.
